Get Involved with Grady!
By: Mia Bonfiglio
Not only does the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication offer strong academic programs, they also offer a variety of different organizations for students to join to further their skills and abilities within their major. Whether you are a PR major, journalism major or anything in between, there are opportunities for everyone!
PRSSA:
The bulletin boards throughout Grady are a great place to find upcoming opportunities within the college.
“PRSSA was the first organization I became heavily involved in since coming to college,” Grady student Bryce Colgate said. “As a public relations major, it has provided me with numerous networking opportunities and the chance to grow my skills within the field.”
Our public relations-focused organization offers students a chance to network on campus, hear from industry professionals and strengthen their own skills by joining hands-on committees. It is also a great chance to meet other students pursuing similar majors, get advice from multiple different perspectives and gain leadership experience as a committee head or executive board member.
AdClub:
AdClub is another pre-professional organization like PRSSA that provides advertising students with networking opportunities and career-preparation resources, including the chance to build your portfolio and enhance your resume and cover letters for both internship and job applications. PRSSA and AdClub overlap in many ways and are both beneficial in providing both public relations and advertising students with lasting connections in the often intertwined AdPR industry.
AdPR Connection:
Another opportunity that is beneficial for all Grady students to take advantage of is AdPR Connection: an in-person Grady College networking event with panelists and a career fair, taking place on Nov.1-2 this year. The event is geared towards advertising and public relations students, but is also a great networking opportunity for journalism and entertainment and media studies majors. AdPR Connection hosts representatives from a vast array of companies that are looking to hire students for internships and jobs post-grad. Even if you are not actively seeking any of these things, it is a great experience to form relationships and engage in networking that can lead to future opportunities.
The Red & Black:
The Red & Black is a weekly student-run newspaper at UGA that provides all Grady majors with opportunities to hone their skills and explore different areas of the communications industry that they are passionate about. Journalism majors can apply to write for a section of the newspaper, gaining real-world experience and publishing content to add to their portfolio. PR and advertising majors can write for the paper as well, in addition to applying for positions within The Red & Black’s advertising and business sectors to work on the external promotion of the brand.
Talking Dog:
Through the student-run advertising agency Talking Dog, students can work with real-world clients, creating media and advertising for them throughout the school year. There are positions in many different committees that can be tailored to any major’s expertise, including engaging in market research, branding, social media strategy, illustration, photography, videography, website design and more. This is an exciting way to add to your portfolio and produce solid, real-life content while still working in a student environment.
“I feel like joining Talking Dog has allowed me to experience a new sense of confidence in the workforce,” Grady student Catherine Eastman said. “I think having this experience and knowledge will allow me to not only be confident when furthering my career path, but will also train me to better my promotion and storytelling for brands of all varieties.”
These are only a few of the many stand-out programs available to students in Grady. You can find a list of Grady student organizations, along with their websites and social media here: Grady Student Organization Connections
