By Junna Miyazaki | Reporter
Baylor’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has elected new officers for the 2022-2023 school year. These include Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., junior and president Mary Watson Vergnolle; Napa, Calif., junior and vice president Elliott Dunham; Houston freshman and secretary Jillian Marty; Spring sophomore and membership outreach officer Chloe Vartanian; and Sammamish, Wash., junior and public relations director Clara Lincicome.
The purpose of PRSSA is to provide students interested in public relations with opportunities that expand their interests, to connect them with a dedicated national association and to expand their understanding of this growing profession.
Enola, Penn., senior and current vice president Brad Springman said speakers come every month to talk about their careers in public relations; he still has connections with previous speakers via LinkedIn.
PRSSA connects students to a network of peers who will become lifelong friends and mentors through the development of valuable relationships with future colleagues via social media. It also provides the opportunity to meet current professionals who are eager to help.
“I enjoy collaborating with people and getting excited about being inspired and passionate,” Vergnolle said. “This club has a lot of opportunities to have a network not only in the Baylor area but also in Texas area as well as other states.”
Vergnolle was elected as president for the upcoming school year.
“I’m so excited to meet people from different backgrounds, different majors and journalism tracks,” Vergnolle said, “It’s very beneficial to have a community; we can access scholarship, internship and job opportunities.”
Vartanian was elected as membership outreach officer for the 2022-2023 school year. Vartanian said she recently changed her major to journalism.
“It is a great way … to build leadership and to build connections with other people and learn more and see what I want to do after graduation,” Vartanian said. “Doing a group project, readership and new experiences are all very appealing to me.”
PRSSA has a rich history of support from its parent organization, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), which offers professional development, networking opportunities and news. After graduating, members of PRSSA can be members of PRSA and can get a discount for membership dues.
The organization holds meetings twice a month, and membership dues are $75 annually. Dr. Marlene Neill, a faculty adviser, is available to answer any questions about the organization.
