By Peyton Gayle
When I came to Georgia Southern, I had no idea what PR was. I had a dream of becoming a nurse and working in the emergency room. My freshman year, like many others I’m sure, was not very good. I struggled with classes relating to nursing, and I soon realized that my dreams to become an ER nurse were slipping away. I went to career counseling and took several aptitude tests to determine what type of career my personality was best suited for. For almost every result, I got public relations as the number one recommendation. I did some research, and I realized that maybe PR could actually be really good for me. I have always been a skilled writer, and public speaking never scared me, so I gave it a try and changed my major after my first semester at Georgia Southern.
I integrated into the PR program very smoothly. My grades greatly improved, and I found what I was looking for: a field that I enjoy, and a field that I am talented in. I quickly developed friendships with my classmates and my professors. I joined PRSSA and I currently serve as the Director of the Firm. To me, the meaning of PR is creating and obtaining relationships between corporations and their publics. We are the communicators between these parties, and we work to meet the goals of the organization and then relay that to the public. These goals could be anything from spreading the word about something new the company is introducing, to helping them work through a crisis and repairing reputations.
Through my experience, I quickly realized that those career tests we all have to take at one point or another actually work (for me at least!). I would not have even considered PR if it weren’t for those tests! I have become 100% sure that PR is the field that I am supposed to be in, and I cannot wait to start implementing my ideas and perspective into the real world after I graduate in May!