Involvement Pays Off
Posted At: April 12, 2007 10:15 AM
by Haley Moore
Jessica Randazza was never a typical student. The young public relations professional who graduated in December 2006, moved from Birmingham, Ala., to Seattle, Wash., for an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. Randazza credits her involvement in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) for not only helping her find the ideal job, but bridging the gap between attending college at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) to building a career across the country.
Randazza serves as vice president of chapter development for PRSSA National until May 2007. The previous academic year, she headed UAB’s PRSSA chapter as president. In addition to these leadership roles, which gave her background and confidence in the PR field, she worked with United Cerebral Palsy as a PR intern throughout college, gained experience as an advertising account executive and promoted Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA). Randazza found these opportunities at the Job Center on PRSSA.org and from her PRSSA chapter’s adviser.
In addition to encouraging Randazza’s local involvement, PRSSA offered her a huge opportunity when it partnered with Chevrolet in 2006 for its Annual National Assembly Competition. The challenge was for a group of students to work together to determine how to launch the new Chevy Avail. Randazza’s group not only won the competition but went on to present its plan at Chevrolet’s headquarters in Detroit where executives approved for it to be used nationally.
All of these experiences stemmed from PRSSA, which Randazza credits for “helping her bridge the gap” from small city to national scope. She received offers from large, reputable companies. However, her experience working for CASA pointed her westward where she took a job with the organization’s PR agency, Publicis Consultants. Although moving across the country was tough, a mere month has gone by, and Randazza already finds herself raving endlessly about Seattle and her new job.
