PPRA Annual Meeting Recap

Wednesday evening at the PPRA Annual Meeting, the Philadelphia Public Relations Association honored past Temple University PRSSA President, Mackenzie Krott, with the PPRA Dr. Jean Brodey Award. This award honors a student for outstanding interest and professional promise in the field of public relations, academic excellence and community contribution. With a warm welcoming of applause from PPRA members, Mackenzie thanked everyone for their continued support to PRSSA as well as to us eager PR students, whether it be as a mentor, an informational interview or sending us internship openings, they continue to motivate and help us in any way. 

I was lucky enough to join Mackenzie at the event and was reassured once again of the importance and necessity of joining PPRA and their role in PR in the area. We were able to network with familiar faces, esteemed alumni, as well as new faces that we cannot wait to make further connections with. 

The evening started with Tom McGrath, editor of Philadelphia Magazine, as the keynote speaker, followed by the induction of the incoming president and Board of Directors. Tom McGrath spoke about the future of Philadelphia Magazine in print as well as the ever-expanding need for online content. He also mentioned the controversial topics that the magazine covers and how they deal with reactions and potential backlash. We were all excited to hear his positive attitude and confidence about the future of publishing and the magazine, and pleasantly shocked that the number of subscriptions has not changed, even with the presence of multiple online ways of receiving news. Seeing the new Board of Directors inducted was exciting, with multiple Temple and PRSSA alumni serving on the board, it furthered our determination to work hard so that these positions could be in our future. 

A professional association event that took time to award and focus on Mackenzie was incredible to see. All of her hard work has paid off and the award summarizes her qualities. No one was more deserving! 

This guest blog post was written by PRSSA President Brianna Rooney. 

PRSSA National Leadership Rally Recap

This past weekend I had the pleasure to travel to Scottsdale, Arizona to represent Temple’s chapter of PRSSA at PRSSA National Leadership Rally! The weekend was filled with incredible speakers, breakout sessions that left you feeling more motivated than ever, and almost 100 eager PRSSA Presidents, ready to take their chapter to the next level!

I learned about myself as a leader, how to handle an executive board and so much more!

"Enhance your education. Extend your network. Prepare for success."

Key Points:

1. I cannot do it all. It is important for people in leadership positions to realize you cannot do it all. I only have one year as president and I need to learn to be able to delegate. Our keynote speaker,      Gary McCormick, a PR professional for HGTV told us, “You need to be decisive. If you can’t delegate, you can’t be decisive” 

2. Leading is an art, not a science. I learned the importance of respect towards your executive board as well as your members. An important point that was reiterated multiple times was that followers select their leaders; leaders do not select their followers. I cannot force myself onto members, some people may not want to participate, instead, I need to learn to wait for people to come to me and then build a relationship from that.

The equation for a leader
Self Sacrifice + Self Examination + Self Control = Personal success in leadership

3. There are continued benefits of PRSSA. We tend to get busy with schoolwork and internships. Our lives take over and forget the long term benefits of PRSSA and why we joined in the first place. The weekend brought me back to myself as an eager freshman, ready to start my PR career. PRSSA offers you the opportunity to enhance your education, extend your network and prepare for success, the building blocks of your victorious future.

I left PRSSA Leadership Rally motivated and ready to make strides as the President of Temple’s chapter. I learned how to lead as well as how to know when it is time to step back. I realize I cannot do it all but I can trust my chapter to help me whenever I need it and I know that I have over 100 members that will help me make this year a success!

What benefits have you received from PRSSA? Do you consider yourself a leader?

This event recap was written by Temple PRSSA President Brianna Rooney.