Reflections of UW-Whitewater Alumni Videos

Watching the video interviews of public relations UW-Whitewater Alumni really helped me learn more about what it means to be in the public relations field. A consistent theme that I heard throughout the videos was that every day is different working in public relations. I think that this is huge because students need to realize this in order to be prepared for what is coming their way. There were three individuals that specifically sparked my interest because of their advice, interests, or the company they work for.

Once of these individuals was Jennifer Dooley, the owner of Dooley and Associates. Jennifer was truly inspiring because she directly took what she learned from public relations and marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and made her own business helping other business to grow. She stressed along with others that networking is the most important thing that you can do because sometimes it's not about what you do, but who you know. To watch the full interview with Jennifer, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMHSAAnhLsg.

Another individual that was very interesting to me was Lynnette Hulgan, the owner of Essential Details, LLC. She started off at the bottom working as an assistant Banquet Manager and worked her way up to running her own event planning business. I was especially interested in what Lynnette's job entailed because event planning has always been an interest of mine. One of the things she stressed was that you have to have the basic knowledge of what makes an event before you can be a planner for it. Meaning sometimes you have to work at the bottom to be able to get to the top and do your job well. For more information about Lynnette Hulgan visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax1agT4OOHc.

The third individual that I could relate to was Cassandra Sura, the public relations coordinator at Memorial Healthcare. She was very involved in PRSSA and had numerous positions in the organization during her time at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I liked that her job consisted of not only being in the office, but being out on site working with people as well. Her advice to students was to be passionate and dedicated to whatever you do and you will be successful. It was easy to see that Cassandra was just that. To learn more about Cassandra visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_rIR3EDxPM.

The PR Student

Hey Everyone! My name is Jessica Scharhag and I will be starting my fourth year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I will finish my college degree with a major in Arts and Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in Psychology. I am a new addition to the Arts and Communications program and plan on attending UW-Whitewater for a total of five years. This fall I plan on joining the PRSSA organization to gain hands on experience with Public Relations. During my college career, I have been all over the board, trying different majors in hopes of finding my ideal occupation. Ranging from Social Work, to Public Relations, to Education, and back to Public Relations, I feel as though I am very well rounded. Despite the changes in majors, I have always known that I wanted a minor in psychology, simply because I love learning how people “work”. In midst of my search I have found that my ideal job must include working with people on a daily basis. My true passion is connecting with people and working with them to make sure that they are achieving/receiving full enjoyment out of life. Whether it is teaching someone something new, helping someone with a problem, or just simply making someone more comfortable, gives me true fulfillment in my day. I especially like working with kids, and have thought for quite awhile that I would like to plan different events for Children’s Hospital, while actually being there to witness and work the event as well.