PRSSA rally inspires chapter president

Some new things are coming to Bloomsburg University’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter this fall as a result of the recent PRSSA 2019 Leadership Rally in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“As a small chapter I went into this conference wanting to get as much advice about running a chapter that I could,” says Sean Lenahan, mass communications major and chapter president. “The other participants discussed chapter development, fundraising, and events that their chapters ran in the past. I now have a number of ideas on how to grow Bloomsburg’s chapter this upcoming year.”

The experience and knowledge shared by big names in the PR industry and other chapters provided Lenahan with fresh insight that he could take with him. Lenahan said there were a number of important names in PR who attended the conference to include”

• Gary McCormick, president of GMC Communications, who talked about event planning
• Aerial Ellis, a young PR professional, who discussed leadership and diversity
• Becca Booker, owner of Homemade Social, discussed the world of freelance PR work

“It was very inspiring to hear these professionals talk about their journeys and careers,” Lenahan says. “Networking, leadership, and diversity were all among the topics discussed over the course of the weekend. There was also a discussion about freelancing PR, which is something I had not considered before.”

To Lenahan it was an amazing opportunity he feels lucky to have had and hopes that future Bloomsburg PRSSA chapter presidents are able to have.

“It was a phenomenal experience,” Lenahan says “I heard a lot of different people give their input on issues regarding PRSSA and public relations in general. It really inspired me to be the best professional version of myself. Hearing what other presidents and professionals had accomplished inspired me to complete a list of tasks before going into my senior year. This includes working on a website, business card, and improving my resume.”