All About Ashley

Well, it’s official. I applied to my first job yesterday. Recently, I have been pondering where I am meant to be post-graduation. Should I work at an agency? Should I work at a corporation? Nothing seems clear. I like aspects of corporate, such as the structure, consistent environment and my time at Marathon Petroleum the past two summers has been enjoyable. However, I feel a slight draw to try agency life. I love the culture, flexibility and ability to serve so many different clients. Do you see my dilemma? Nothing seems crystal clear or a sign pointing at one over the other. I recently sat down with Michelle Olsen, president-elect of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) at the 2019 International Conference. We discussed my confusion and where I see myself working in the future. Michelle’s advice was simple, “Apply and interview at whatever seems interesting. You will know what is best for you based on the gut feeling you receive from interviewing and learning more about th...

This past weekend I traveled to San Diego, California for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) International Conference. Let me tell you, IT WAS AMAZING! I am going to give you a play-by-play on what we did each day. Thursday, October 17 We traveled to San Diego, California. We flew out of John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio at 6:00 a.m. Yes, we woke up and traveled from Ohio Northern University at 3:00 a.m. Yes, we were very tired. Once we arrived in San Diego, California we went to La Jolla by the Sea, a coastline known for beautiful views. La Jolla was amazing and definitely had some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. Here we explored, listened to sea lions bark and took in the amazing scenery with a drink at a local restaurant, Brockton Villa. For dinner we headed back to downtown San Diego, California to meet up with Dr. Aggie and Central Ohio Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) member, Kaitie Thomas. Friday, October...

Although we just got back from Fall Break, I am getting ready to jet-off to San Diego, California for the 2019 Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) International Conference. Here we network with various professionals in the field, meet PRSSA members from across the country and hear engaging presentations on all things public relations and marketing. Each year, the conference is held in a new location. I have attended the past four years. My freshman year the conference was in Indianapolis, Indiana. My sophomore year myself and 13 other students traveled to Boston, Massachusetts. This past year, my junior year has been my favorite so far. The conference was held in Austin, Texas and we also had the opportunity to visit Waco, Texas the home of Chip and Joanna Gaines from "Fixer Upper." With the conference being in San Diego, California this year, myself and four other PRSSA members are attending. We are all very excited to be visiting the sunny state of Californi...

I am absolutely obsessed with the show, “Grey’s Anatomy” right now. The show is a medical drama that follows the personal and professional lives of doctors at Seattle’s Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The 16th season just began a couple weeks ago, however, I am still watching season 11 on Netflix. Because the show is so popular and first aired in 2005, it has been hard to not look into the spoilers or have one of my friends accidentally reveal a major detail from the show.  One of my favorite characters in the show is Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Meredith has such a way about her. She exalts confidence and honesty, two characteristics I try to live out each day. One of my favorite quotes from Meredith is, “Sometimes it’s good to be scared. It means you still have something to lose.”  I love Grey’s Anatomy so much that I convinced my boyfriend to be Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd for Halloween. Derek is Meredith’s husband in the show. He is also a surgeon at Grey Sloan Memo...

This past weekend I traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina with Dr. Aggie for a conference. The conference was held at the University of South Carolina Beaufort - Hilton Head Island campus and was hosted by the Carolinas Communication Association. On the first day of the conference, Dr. Aggie presented her podcasting assignment that she incorporates in Principles of Social Media during a session called, “Making Content Sustainable Through a Platform That’s Accessible On-The-Go: Podcasting.” Attendees were amazed and asked multiple questions on how they too could incorporate a similar assignment to their classes. On the next day, alumna, Rachael McKee, flew in to help lead a panel discussion with Aggie and I. The panel’s focus was on creating and maintaining a mentorship program. I also participated in an undergraduate poster session later in the day. The session allowed undergraduate attendees to share their research projects. I prepared a case study on Patagonia’s thought lead...