Life After UWW for Amy Paul

Being a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater can be a blast, but there are also those challenging times when success needs to be earned. The only way to reach success is a lot of hard work and dedication.  This past Wednesday Amy Paul came to speak to our Public Relations- Tactics II class and gave us a glimpse into her life as a UWW student and her career as a professional in PR. She showed us that success does not just come to you...you must earn it and work hard for it. Also, you must never give up!

Amy Paul graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in May of 2011.  While at Whitewater, she was very involved.  She was a member of PRSSA, the Public Relations Student Society of America.  Amy was the secretary, insight editor, regional activity coordinator, and professional development chair throughout her years as a member of PRSSA.  She showed leadership quickly and got involved with the organization, which gave her a lot of valuable experience in the field.  This organization, which I am also a member of, gave her the opportunities to go on agency tours, BMA events, PRSA luncheons, and the National PRSA Conference. All that hard work has now helped her get to where she is now; she is a current employee of Ascedia as the Interactive Account Coordinator.

Throughout college Amy also had multiple internships to help “bulk up” her resume. She worked with the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin as a Fundraising and Special Events intern.  She was Qdoba Mexican Grill’s Brand Ambassador and a Student Assistant at the UWW Development Office.  Amy also works with the Milwaukee Admirals as a Communications Intern and a Street Team Member. Amy is still in touch with the Milwaukee Admirals and works with them from time-to-time helping them run one of their websites. 

What surprised me about Amy Paul was that she has explored multiple avenues of Public Relations by trying out new jobs and not being afraid of new things. You can just see the differences in jobs in her internships alone.  She told the class that it is not uncommon these days to switch jobs and explore new options. This surprised me, because my parents have been doing the same thing their whole lives.  I guess that it a thing of the past and fairly uncommon these days to stick to one job!

Amy had a lot of great advice that I took to heart also! I knew that she was once in my shoes, so her advice was very valuable to me.  As a student, she told my class to keep connected to people. Network! She said this is very important when in the field of PR. She also told us to begin looking for internships early, and once you have an internship, do not be afraid to ask questions and also ask for more responsibility.  After college STILL NETWORK! This should never stop.  Never forget that what you post online is public, and it can hurt you professionally. And always remember that traditional writing skills are never “a thing of the past.”