Kara Teresi

Georgia's On My Mind

2010-09-12T19:42:00.001-07:00

I recently started coaching pre-school age children 3-5 year olds how to play soccer.

The company I'm working with is Soccer Shots focused on teaching children soccer and leadership skills .

This past weekend I coached two full sessions of 3 year olds. I was so excited to have many little girls signed up. One of these girls was named Georgia and was really shy and immediately started crying when I began. This is not uncommon with children this age so I always try my best to include them and get other children to encourage them to participate.

I have learned quickly that patience works best and that reassurance is helpful in building their confidence. By the end of the session Georgia had stopped crying and was smiling and enjoying herself. I think Georgia's story applies to many areas of life and especially in the business world. When you feel accepted and trust the people that you work with your attitude changes. When your attitude is positive then your actions follow and you yield positive results.

In whatever you do, do it as though you are doing it unto the Lord and not for man. My desire is to work with a cheerful heart no matter the circumstances. Today in church we talked about the woman with a small jar of oil and how she trusted God to use what she already had and how He multiplied it substantially. God’s desire is to bless us tremendously, and he always uses what we have to give to Him and then He does what we cannot do.

I am prepared to work with patience, encourage others with a cheerful heart and trust in God and you can be too! Act your way into feeling. This is something my soccer coach told me-try it this week and see for yourself.

Art For A Change

2010-07-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege to read the NY Times article "To Those With Nothing, Soccer Is Everything". I was inspired to write the artist, Jessica Hilltout and share with her how incredible her work on the AMEN project [pictured above] was and how it truly touched me. Another part of her work that was fascinating was that it was a self-published and self-funded project.

Today, I was reminded of her artwork when I was playing soccer and all of a sudden my cleat ripped, yep out flopped my big foot. I have had this happen to me only once before, but for some reason this time was totally different. My initial reaction was not oh crap or man I got to get new cleats now...no it was wow so many people around the world play with no cleats or cleats ripped just like these and I was humbled.

"In this life we can not do great things. We can only do small things with great love." Mother Teresa once shared this wisdom and I thank God for showing me this truth. As if I had not received enough encouragement already today on my drive home I was listening to these song lyrics "Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see, everything that I've been missing, give me your love for humanity." I love how something so small as my cleat ripping or a picture that I see in a newspaper or a soccer ball that I give to a needy child can serve such a greater purpose. I have recognized that art is all around me and I am open to being changed by it. I pray you will be too. Please check out more of Jessica Hillouts amazing artwork:
www.jessicahilltout.com
www.jessicahilltout.com/amen
www.jessicahilltout.com/roadbook

Thank You Coach Wooden

2010-06-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

The television has been filled with images of the legendary basketball coach, John Wooden and the news of his recent death at the age of 99. To those who knew him best, it was never about his impressive basketball-coaching career, but about the integrity of a man who lived a life worth talking about.

In the book, How to Be Like Coach Wooden: Life Lessons from Basketball's Greatest Leader, Jim Harley, longtime coach at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida wrote these words,

“John Wooden is a humble giant. At the 1975 Final Four, I saw him sitting by himself one morning, getting some sun. I walked over sat down next to him and we talked for thirty minutes. What an awesome time it was for me as we talked about recruiting, practices and other things coaches discuss. Here he was going for his tenth national title and he had time for an unknown coach from a small school in Florida.”

Jim Harley is my uncle, my mother’s maiden name is Linda Harley and my grandfather, Bill Harley, was his older brother. I was blessed to visit my Uncle Jim a few weeks ago at his beautiful home in St. Petersburg. My father and mother had their wedding reception in his backyard almost 30 years ago and so I always love visiting his home.

This visit was different; Uncle Jim invited me into his coaching office where I stood in awe of all the plaques, pictures, trophies and books that filled the space. He went to the bookshelf and grabbed a book and handed it to me opened to the page where I read about him meeting Coach Wooden. He then flipped to the books inside cover and in it had placed the article about Coach Wooden Athletes for a Better World Citizenship Cup award highlighting where I was listed as a semi-finalist.

I smiled to hold back the tears that desperately wanted to roll down my cheeks and instead pointed to a large picture of an older black man and asked him who was photographed in the picture.

He shared with me that this picture was of one of his former basketball players who died, and that he had the honor of speaking at his funeral. He spoke of all the emotions that he felt on that day speaking in front of his family and many loved ones.

After telling many more stories and reminiscing of the past and looking at some of Aunt Mary Alice’s paintings, I was finally ready to head home.

Earlier, Uncle Jim had handed me a graduation gift, the book, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, Building Blocks for a Better Life. I was so thankful for our time together and before I left, Uncle Jim gave me a big hug and said these three words, “ I love you. ” This was the first time I had ever heard these words spoken from him and I had no grasp to the impression it would leave.

I smiled and again fought back the tears that were trying to get loose. I made it to the car and rode in silence for some time until they came, my tears rolling down my cheeks, as I was filled with such wonderful emotions of happiness, joy and thankfulness.

My Uncle Jim is the closest person I have to a grandfather. I am even crying as I write this. My grandfather, Bill Harley, died three years ago from cancer, I loved my grandpa and was so blessed to be able to see him and hold his hand the week before he passed away. He was my only grandpa, as my father’s dad died when he was 2 years old and his adopted father passed away when he was 18 years old.

I was at a friends wedding this weekend and again felt these same emotions as I watched her dance with her grandfather. I will not have this opportunity, but I know that they will be smiling down from heaven watching me dance on my wedding day.

There are so many great life lessons that I have learned just through reading Coach Wooden’s Building Blocks For A Better Life.

I love his definition of integrity, “purity of intention”. My parents chose my name, Kara, because it signifies purity. I desire to have a pure heart and although many times I mess up and seek my own way, I know that the Lord has called me to walk in his light and to love him and love others.

Coach Wooden talks about the integrity of those such as Mother Teresa, who said, “ A life not lived for others is not a life.”

Uncle Jim exemplifies Coach Wooden’s definition of integrity. Here is just a glimpse …

Coach Harley taught me many things, but there are three I want to highlight: 1) the team's welfare is above any one individual; 2) that you must always finish what you started; and 3) friendship is a life time commitment and endeavor. I am the man I am today because Coach Harley was an influence in my early years and has stayed involved. My relationship with Coach erased the specter of race. I cannot hate because of James R. Harley even though I have many times been given reasons and grounds. Hating would diminish what we have shared. He is a keeper.
- Harry K. Singletary, Jr. ‘68

In honor of Coach Wooden I wrote this blog to him, as I would share with him all this I wrote and finish with saying these humble words, “thank you.”

Benefiting Children In South Africa

2010-06-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

June is finally here and I am rejoicing about the start of 2010 FIFA South Africa World Cup this summer! I am also enjoying serving as the public relations intern for the philanthropic charity organization, Little Feet (LF) as well this summer.

So what is Little Feet all about?

Little Feet is a social enterprise that gives underprivileged children the chance to play “the Beautiful Game” by providing them with new, high-quality soccer balls. Founded upon the “one for one” model, it donates a ball to a needy child for each one sold through its website, www.littlefeet.com. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, the Little Feet Foundation has proudly shared its passion for soccer with disadvantaged children and schools since its inception in March 2006, reaching thousands of children in over 40 countries worldwide.

I had the privilege to be introduced to LF by our GCSU soccer coach, Juan Pablo Favero. Our GCSU soccer program partners with LF using LF balls as our team practice balls.

I've experienced first hand the impact of LF’s global mission; I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua last summer to distribute LF balls to the local soccer league there. LF allows players like myself to have a globally social responsible perspective and it also provides players an understanding of the true value of giving back to the community.

After soccer championships are won, it is not the scores that are remembered years later, but always the relationships formed and the passions shared for this “beautiful game” we play. LF is about making a difference in people’s lives by promoting peace through soccer and giving hope worldwide.

Little Feet has always set “Big Goals” and Trevor Slavick, co-founder of the organization, is launching a LF Soccer Ball Partnership Program. I have already begun contacting various soccer organizations to get involved with this effort.

In addition, I have been working on contacting both local and national media requesting media support to help spread the word about the launch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup U.S. Men’s National Team Supporter Shirt.

For every shirt sold, Little Feet has pledged to donate a soccer ball to an underprivileged child in South Africa during the World Cup.

This internship has been so rewarding in that I am seeing the global impact it is having everyday and I am understanding more and more why companies and organizations do pro-bono work and donate to charities and philanthropies. I truly do light up when I talk about LF and I am eager to see them grow and expand this summer as I put my public relations skills to work.

A soccer teammate will be traveling to Guyana on July 10-17th. She will be at a children's home and running a soccer clinic there and distrubuting LF balls. Another acquaintance is taking LF balls to Schools for Niger, Africa. These are just two examples of the kind of impact I am talking about.

I recently read a press release that the Atlanta Beat Soccer Foundation and Chick-fil-A have joined forces to donate gently used soccer gear to the Schools of Niger, Africa in the Donate Your Gear program. Drop locations include all 12 Atlanta Beat home games in addition to 20 additional drop zones at local Chick-fil-A restaurants throughout Georgia.

Items collected for the schools of Niger, Africa include:
Clothing
Cleats
Balls
Equipment
Coaches gear
Water bottles

Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, and please if you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Cheers,

Kara Teresi
Public Relations Intern
Little Feet/Big Goals
Peace through soccer
kara@littlefeet.com
(813) 335-7096
http://www.linkedin.com/companies/little-feet?trk=copro_tab
http://www.facebook.com/LittleFeetSports

Lead this...

2010-05-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

A week ago today, John Maxwell was a featured speaker at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. This is a one-day leadership event featuring a premier speaker lineup of the world's best leaders. Broadcast LIVE from Atlanta to hundreds of locations throughout the country and world, the Chick-fil-A Leadercast is a catalyst for new ideas and better leadership practice.

Check out the website www.chick-fil-aleadercast.com where you can download free audio and video content.

This week I have enjoyed reading John Maxwell's book "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership-Follow Them and People Will Follow You" and personally learning from his experiences at age 22 right after he graduated college and took his first job. Maxwell states, Leadership is influence-nothing more, nothing less." In my search for my first job job, I am working to PLAN AHEAD using Maxwell's acrostic below as great guide.

Predetermine a course of action
Lay out your goals
Adjust your priorities
Notify key personnel

Allow time for acceptance
Head into action
Expect problems
Always point to successes
Daily review your plan

Maxwell further discusses that the barriers to successful planning are fear of change, ignorance, uncertainty about the future and lack of imagination. "It's not the position that makes the leader, its the leader that makes the position." -Stanley Huffty

My college soccer coach, Juan Pablo Favero used a lot of Maxwell's leadership laws as he instructed our team for the past 2 years. I recognize so much of our team leadership process in this book, and I see the value that it has brought me in my own life. Maxwell points out 7 key areas that reveal themselves in leaders lives to step forward as leaders. These include: Character, Relationships, Knowledge, Intuition, Experience, Past Success and Ability. Leadership is a privilege, and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to lead and learn from others like Maxwell about how to be a better leader. I know this will benefit not only myself, but my followers and future employer.

College Graduate

2010-05-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Check out this link to a short clip of me walking across the stage at my college graduation on Saturday May 8, 2010.
http://www.justin.tv/karateresi/b/263492842#r=1OOXE5c~&s=li
This was the One Hundred Twenty-Sixth Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony at Georgia College & State University. I was so happy to have my family there for this special day. My four college years are now finished. I am so humbled to think of what an amazing college experience I had and I leave with such a sense of satisfaction. While shaking hands with our GCSU President Dorothy Leland she pointed and smiled with this remark, "You did a great job". I walked off the stage smiling ear to ear thanking the Lord for His greatness in me. I am excited to continue to do a great job as the Lord leads me in this new chapter of my life as a college graduate.

LF -World Cup South Africa

2010-05-04T11:52:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited for the World Cup in South Africa this summer! Here is a picture of me at the Atlanta Beat soccer stadium a few weeks ago and yes I am sporting the official Little Feet (LF) World Cup t-shirt. LF is such a great organization and I always enjoy blogging about what they are doing and the impact they are making across the globe. LF slogan is You Play, They Play. LF provides soccer balls to underprivileged children worldwide. Our GCSU soccer team trains with the LF soccer balls-the quality of these balls are amazing and their mission is inspiring. Please join LF on Facebook and follow them on twitter @littlefeet_com. Don't forget to visit www.littlefeet.com to purchase your LF World Cup t-shirt today. Best of all, you will be donating a soccer ball to a needy child in South Africa this summer! The U.S. opener is June 12 so make sure to get your official LF World Cup t-shirt before all the excitement begins!

Bringing value to the job

2010-04-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that public relations professionals and the entire PR community has joined together today to help 2010 graduates like myself find jobs through HAPPO (Help A PR Pro Out).

I feel so privileged to be a part of the growing public relations field and to have the opportunity to be guided and directed on this new journey of mine into finding my first job. I have received great job advice and so I wanted to share this with you as my public relations colleagues.

"Think of each job as an opportunity"-Mark Merrill, President, Family First

"Do your research"-Mary Jean Land, GCSU MSCM Department Chair

"Cultivate endurance, self-confidence and a sense of curiosity" -Dianne Bernez, SVP Corporate Communications, Equifax

"Broaden your network"-Mary Roberts, Director, GCSU Career Center

"Take personal responsibility in delivering excellence"-Juan Pablo Favero, GCSU Women's Head Soccer Coach

"Listen-pray-follow" - Les Steckel, President/CEO, Fellowship of Christian Athletes

I will leave you with a personal favorite of mine, "Strive not to be a success, but to be of value."-Albert Einstein

Bringing value into the work place should be the first move for any professional looking to be hired. Have a happy HAPPO day!

I scream for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

2010-04-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

I love ice cream. All those sweet flavors to choose from, deciding which one is always so difficult. Well there is one ice cream company that became just as famous for its approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) as for its many ice cream flavors and products. The company was Ben & Jerry’s founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in 1977, dedicated to a sustainable corporate concept of linked prosperity. Ben & Jerry’s mission pictured above includes 3 interrelated parts including social, product and economic.

First, Ben & Jerry’s aims to manufacture, sell and distribute top quality products. Second, the company aims to make profits while also "creating career opportunities and financial rewards for our employees." Finally, Ben & Jerry's aspires to operate so as to "actively recognize the central role that business plays in the structure of society by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life of a broad community - local, national, and international.”

The underlying mission of Ben & Jerry’s is the determination to seek new and creative ways of addressing all three parts, while holding a deep respect for individuals inside and outside the company and for the communities of which they are a part.
In the article, A Moo-del for Corporate Social Responsibility, the author notes, “ During the course of its incredible journey from small ice cream shop to multimillion-dollar business, Ben & Jerry's created history as the first company to make profits while acting as a non-profit. It also became the first company to employ a double (financial as well as social) bottom line, leading The New York Times to herald its product as "inspiring ice cream."

In addition, Ben & Jerry's is a founding member of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), an association of some 1400 or so businesses that aims to furnish "members with innovative products and services that help companies be commercially successful in ways that demonstrate respect for ethical values, people, communities and the environment.”

Although there has been no consensus as to one definition of CSR, it has been said to encompass, "a company's commitment to operate in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner, while acknowledging such areas as employee relations, diversity, community development, environment, international relationships, marketplace practices, fiscal responsibility and accountability all help to determine its corporate social responsibility.”

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen once said, “Business has a responsibility to give back to the community.” Cohen’s statement is simple and yet it explains the magnitude of why they do what they do to continue to grow the companies CSR.
Business Ethics has labeled co-founder Cohen, the true force behind Ben & Jerry's being a "values-led" business, "a celebrated entrepreneur and social activist." He deserves much of the credit for Ben & Jerry's reputation for being socially progressive, a reputation built on the company's philanthropy, its treatment of its employees, its environmental practices as well as a host of other activities and policies the company pursues.

In 1985, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation was created and since then it has been committed to philanthropy and social change work, and to support grassroots progressive social change organizations around the country. The company is probably best known for its unprecedented rate of giving to charitable organizations in the corporate world—a full 7.5% of its pretax profits as compared to only 1% by the average American corporation.

Obviously Ben & Jerry's practices what it preaches, and sometimes even when it hurts their financial bottom line. For instance, in 1995, when a Japanese supplier offered to distribute its ice cream in the Japanese market, where rival Haagen-Dazs was raking in revenues in the hundreds of millions, Ben & Jerry's declined. Why? The Japanese corporation had no history of supporting social goals.

In April 1999 Ben & Jerry's began using paper cartons manufactured with unbleached (chlorine-free) paper. The new container is referred to as the Eco-Pint carton. Ben & Jerry's has also created a PartnerShop Program as a form of social enterprise, a growing movement in which nonprofit organizations leverage the power of business for community benefit.
The company is currently designing a community partnership program that would allow for local youth development organizations to partner with local scoop shops in 2011.

Ben & Jerry’s CSR approaches are always evolving and changing as new innovations and ideas come about. In conclusion, I scream for ice cream, you scream for ice cream, we all scream for ice cream and letting the whole world know that Ben & Jerry’s CSR is the real deal.

Men of Character

2010-04-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

Carlton Mitchell
Colt McCoy

While the combination of sheer size and speed of sixth round draft pick receiver Carlton Mitchell will provide the Cleveland Browns with a promising target for third round draft pick quarterback Colt McCoy, there still remains one prominent trait that both players bring to the team that far outweighs the rest. This trait is their consistent character demonstrated both on and off the football field.

In my last blog post, I shared a NY Times article that expressed the proven character of Carlton Mitchell and noted that Carlton and I both attended Gaither high school in Tampa, Fla. and were members of the track team.

In addition, Colt McCoy has also been noted for his proven character, perhaps most notably when he was selected as a 2009 finalist for the John Wooden Citizenship Cup, Athletes For A Better World.

The Wooden Cup is named in honor of John Wooden, one of the most successful coaches in collegiate history. Wooden's legacy as a person of integrity, high moral character, compassion, and civic-mindedness continues to make him one of the most admired coaches in the history of sport.

Recipients of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup are chosen by a committee chaired by Vincent Dooley, former University of Georgia athletic director, and other distinguished individuals involved in athletics across the country.

I myself was honored as a semi-finalist for the 2009 John Wooden Citizenship Cup, Athletes For A Better World. I take pride (personal responsibility in delivering excellence) that I too posses the prominent trait of having consistent character.

To see Carlton and Colt join the NFL with the Cleveland Browns is incredible. I believe that their consistent character will take them a long way not just for their football careers, but also for the rest of their lives. I expect to see them pave the way in building up more men of character in the NFL for years to come.

A Man's Character

2010-04-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

"Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses and avoids."
— Aristotle

"Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character."
— Albert Einstein

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.”
— John Wooden

The above examples prove the overall importance of a man's character. Listening and acting upon the words of these men who all possessed a great deal of character themselves is so important. I would say that a man's character plays a defining role in his or her life and ultimately the lives of those who are following him.

Tonight, I read a great article on the sports front page of the NY Times.

The character of the young man, Carlton Mitchell who was featured in the article is inspiring. I knew Carlton in high school, we ran track together, he truly is a gifted athlete, but more importantly a man of character. I was touched to read about how Carlton responded to a trying situation and chose to uphold his morals. Here is an interesting quote from the article, and the motivator for me to write this blog post.

"If Mitchell's physical gifts are the bait, some receiver-starved team may decide to reel him in partly because of his character"

Why is it that the mans character is just part of the equation here?

You see, the article directly below the one that featured Carlton was about Ben Roethlisberger and how he violated the NFL personal conduct policy representing himself, his teammates and everyone associated with the NFL in a poor manner.

I believe that character is the entire equation. Yes, athletic skill is important, but that is already a given for these athletes especially those like Ben. What is missing is the character of these individuals. When did we make it alright for athletes to be considered solely by athletic talent and disregard the overall character of these men. Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, the list continues of athletes who have talent that is undeniable, but who have missed the mark with their personal decisions and overall character.

I believe that if we desire a change in character from these men, we must hold them accountable for their actions and begin to cultivate an environment where the character of a man is more than just part of the equation.

Run For Water

2010-04-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am running in the The Dow Live Earth Run For Water that will take place on Sunday April 18 in Atlanta. The distance of the run is 6 km, which is the average distance many women and children travel every day just to secure water to be able to drink. The scarcity of water for many people around the world is a growing problem today.

This run is taking place over the course of 24 hours in countries around the world, featuring concerts and water education activities aimed at igniting a tipping point to help solve this global water crisis.

I am excited to be able to participate in this great event this weekend with my wonderful mother. We both share a passion for making a difference in our community and globally, and what better way than to run together and support this great effort.

$25 gives one classroom full of children clean water for a year – keeping kids healthy and in school.

Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action. I recently blogged about the company ignition-inc. after hearing the founder, Dill Driscoll, speak at my University. I was touched by Dill's message and the overall mission of ignition-inc. to make a positive difference in people's lives. Interestingly enough, ignition-inc. actually works on organizing the global runs for Live Earth.

Women’s Leadership Symposium

2010-04-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

GCSU Women's Soccer Team pictured with Keynote Speaker
Pictured from left: Wendell Staton,Cecile Reynaud, Ada Bazin, Germaine McAuley, Awista Ayub, Joeleen Akin, Jennifer Graham and Kara Teresi

Georgia College & State University Department of Athletics and the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity's Women’s Resource Center held the first-ever Women’s Leadership Symposium Monday, March 15 in Magnolia Ballroom. The symposium featured six guest speakers including keynote speaker Awista Ayub, author of However Tall the Mountain, who discussed, “The Role of Sports for Women In Afghanistan.” Here is my personal story about the impact of Awista Ayub’s book. “I came across Awista Ayub on the littlefeet_com twitter page. Our GCSU soccer team partners with Little Feet, a non-profit organization that sends soccer balls to underprivileged children worldwide. Ayub has been a long time supporter of Little Feet sending soccer balls to children in Afghanistan. I clicked on a link that sent me to Ayub’s website, www.awistaayub.com. Instantly, I was captivated by her books cover that read, A Dream, Eight Girls & A Journey Home with an image of an Afghan woman holding a soccer ball above her head. Khaled Hosseni, author of The Kite Runner, gave a quote on the books cover that read, “These young afghan women are pioneers. Their story is one of resilience and courage. This book is a testament to the power of hope and the will to dream in a country where so many dreams have been cut short”. I purchased the book immediately and received it in the mail shortly there after; I read it during our long soccer bus rides and finished the book towards the end of our season. Our team was playing at home for conference game against University North Carolina Pembroke (UNCP) on October 21. It was this particular night when the book came full circle for me. I was standing on our soccer field with my teammates facing towards the Flag as it waved in the wind with the sounds of the national anthem playing behind us. I began to cry. In her book, Awista gives an image of these Afghan girls standing in Ghazi Stadium, where they had once witnessed the Taliban brutally murder many Afghans on this same field. It was right there in that stadium, on that field, where these girls would eventually play soccer and represent their country. I was filled with emotions of how blessed I was to be playing this game of soccer, and living in a country with freedom and liberties. I have never felt more privileged to play the game of soccer than in that moment. We won our game that night, and it sparked a passion within me to e-mail Awista Ayub and share how her book had changed my perspective.” Little did I know, that sending this e-mail would be the beginning of something greater than I had could have ever imagined. Over 60 participants attended the symposium, including 25 high school students. President Dorothy Leland gave a warm welcome and introduction for participants, and spoke of the progress women have made in Georgia College’s history and inspired future leaders to continue in this progress by leading with character and integrity. The symposium ended with Awista Ayub’s keynote address that included a 10-minute ESPN documentary from these courageous young women and their experiences playing soccer in Afghanistan. Below are some participant responses when asked to respond to the question, “What is one thing they will take away from attending this symposium?”

“To be a positive influence in others lives.”

“That I can do something worthwhile.”

“ The desire/goal to form a mentoring program at our school.”

“To get out there and not settle for the least, but to always try and never give up.”

“Appreciation of my personal freedoms.”

“How a small idea can make a huge difference.”

With the valuable impact of this Women’s Leadership Symposium for students, Georgia College hopes to make this a tradition for years to come.

GCSU Women's Leadership Symposium

2010-03-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

www.gcsubobcats.com/wlshome
Registration Deadline is Wednesday March 10.

Sponsored by GCSU Athletics and OIED Women's Resource Center the Women's Leadership Symposium will be held
on Monday March 15 in Magnolia Ballroom from 8:00a.m. - 2:00p.m.

The symposium will feature 6 guest speakers. Including keynote speaker, author, Awista Ayub. Ms. Ayub's book, "However Tall the Mountain" is available in GCSU Bookstore, it will also be available at the event and there will be a book signing too.

Leadership topics of discussion include mentoring, community involvement, diversity and much more! There is a $10 registration fee that includes participant breakfast and lunch.

The keynote speaker, Awista Ayub, Author, "However Tall the Mountain" will be presenting at 1 p.m. on the topic of "Role of Sports For Women In Afghanistan" Check out her website at www.awistaayub.com

How do you see yourself using technology?

2010-03-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

Digital Bridges is the client for my senior public relations campaign class. On Saturday February 27, 2010 at the Milledgeville Mall we presented our campaign titled, "How do you see yourself using techonlogy? " to the community. We had a nice table set up directly in the middle of the mall and had 4 Apple computers set up with the photo booth application. We encouraged people to sit down and take their "fun"picture and then we printed them off and handed them there picture magnet with the digital bridges logo and mission statement as well as a flyer with the address to Digital Bridges and other information. In addition, we printed off an extra copy of their picture and posted it on our display board and told them to stop by Digital Bridges to see their picture and collect a coupon for Chick-fil-A. During the event, we reached a wide audience including people from the blood drive and beauty pageant going on that day. Our goal was to spread awareness of how technology is fun, and how Digital Bridges offers many great resources to the community from classes for beginners learning to use e-mail or for the advanced learning cutting-edge technology systems. From my experience, I found that the way to have people be most receptive to what we were doing was to 1) listen and be patient 2) hook them with a connection 3) show them the benefits 4) be concise to get the point across 5) always smile :) I think that these same principles apply to working with a client. As a public relations professional, I know that being indispensable to the client is key. From this event, I further increased my ability to communicate effectively, my problem solving skills and my overall campaign management. In answer to our campaign title, " I see myself using technology to connect with others in bringing about positive change in my community and globally." Feel free to post your answer to this same ? on my blog!

Making a positive difference in people's lives

2010-02-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of ignition? Well, here they are. These people are amazing. Check them out at www.ignition-inc.com.

I had the pleasure to listen to ignition Chairmen and Founder, Dill Driscoll speak at an event sponsored by the GCSU Entrepreneurial Residential Learning Community (ERLC).

Ignition’s mission is to make a positive difference in peoples lives. Dill talked about his personal philosophy of leadership and entrepreneurship.

During his dynamic presentation, Dill mentioned that no person could be an entrepreneur without leadership. He referenced some great leaders of the past including Moses, Martin Luther King Jr. and Sir Earnest Shakleton.

Dill spoke about how great leaders engage the heart, refuse to accept the status quo, create a sense of urgency, call people to act in accordance to right values, acknowledge the sacrifices of others, paint a visual picture of tomorrow, have compassion, forgiveness, joy, peace, inner-strength, generosity, humor, intelligence, complete trust and poise.

In addition, Dill discussed about the 5 screens today. The first 4 were easy to identify and they included the following: Movie, Television, Computer and Smart Phone. However, the last one he mentioned was that of Human Touch.

As public relations professionals, I believe that it is necessary to understand, Human Touch, in order to be the most effective and the most valued to those who we are working with. At the end of the day it is the friendships and relationships that are being built through our personal interactions with other people.

My challenge to my public relations peers is to get out there and start interacting with other public relations professionals. Handing out your business card is a great way to make a personal connection and let people know how much you care.

You may be surprised to see how something so simple as the human touch can be beneficial in connecting you to people and opening opportunities for you in your career.

I wanted to thank ERLC for having Dill come speak at GCSU. The next ERLC meeting is this Monday March 1 at 12:30 p.m. in the dining hall room next to the ice cream machine. Guess who is guest speaking? Yep, that would be yours truly; I will be speaking about the Women’s Leadership Symposium I am organizing to be held on Monday March 15 at GCSU. See you there!

My Tweet Challenge Experience

2010-02-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

I hit over 100 tweets, followed more than 25 new people and used everything from #hahtags, RT's, Links and @replies. This challenge was a challenge for me. Thanks to everyone who followed me and tweeted me! The challenge has helped me to see the value of using twitter to connect with other people and learn new things even if it did consume a lot of my time.

I will admit that not having the Internet physically at my fingertips (i.e. smart phone, iphone,etc.) did limit me in this challenge. Although, today while I was sitting on the crammed shuttle to class, I noticed that the guy sitting next to me was tweeting from his iphone. I engaged him in conversation about twitter and we talked all the way until we got off the shuttle. He had mentioned that there was the option to tweet using text messaging on your phone. Sadly, I am still a simple girl at the end of the day and I do not have unlimited text messaging on my phone so I don't see that really being a feasible option for me, but still good to know for all my readers out there.

However, the lack of Internet at my fingertips was not the only obstacle I faced in this challenge. In addition, I did come across the reality that many professional women may be aware of twitter for their organization, but are not at this point in time using twitter personally. I say this because over the last week, I had the opportunity to attend a PBC Women in Athletics Seminar and a Women's Leadership Forum. I got the names of the guest speakers and some of those who attended and looked them up on twitter, the majority I did not find and the few that were found had not updated their pages for awhile.

On the other hand, I did have some positive takeaways from this challenge. I had the opportunity to take a client that I am working with this semester, Aubri Lanes restaurant, and increase their twitter followers from only 1 follower to a total of 4. I understand that this is just a small measure of improvement, but you see that was just from 1 tweet about @AubriLanes. I believe that if Aubri Lanes will move into constantly updating their twitter page, they could have an even better following. My hope is to see that Aubri Lanes will continue to increase their twitter followers and twitter presence. I'm not sure how I can measure the result of whether or not using twitter brings people into the restaurant, but I do know that it will serve to most certainly increase their brand awareness.

In this challenge, I experienced such a variety of knowledge from my exposure to twitter. I think of twitter as a constantly updated newspaper where I can get information readily about everything there is to know. I am glad that this challenge is behind me now. I look forward to tweeting at the healthy medium for me and that does not include 5 tweets a day, everyday.

PR Tweet Challenge

2010-01-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

http://twitter.com/

The Tweet Challenge is 5 tweets a days for 7 days and to follow 25 more PR and social media practitioners. I need your support!

Please follow my blog and tweet me @karateresi

Thanks for your tweet time :) and stay posted as I will be blogging about my experience.

His Christmas Wish Granted

2009-12-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

Below is the article that I read featuring Jose Casanova's story.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/spanish-speaking-poet-85-longs-for-visitors-cassette-player/1057551

Listening to Jose Casanova- An Inspiring Cuban Poet

Jose was sitting in his chair by the window as I opened the door to Room 111, which I found easily by the picture of Jesus that was hanging from it. Jose was dressed in a navy and red striped long sleeve shirt, suspenders and a scarf. He wore white zip up tennis shoes, but his left shoe was not zipped up all the way. He had the most sincere smile as I introduced myself in Spanish and sat down. After telling Jose a little about myself, I asked him if he had ever played any sports like soccer when he was younger. He replied that he had once but got hit in the eye and after that he decided that sports were not his thing.

Just a little while later, we were joined by Leah another visitor who was also inspired by Jose story and Jessica a volunteer Spanish translator. Leah had brought with her Jose’s favorite Spanish flan and I had brought Jose a personal cassette recorder.

We asked Jose many questions and learned about his past in Cuba. He had been a political prisoner for 15 years in Cuba and his wife happened to be pregnant with their second son when he was incarcerated. His family often visited him during those years.

At this point in our conversation, I began to cry. I never met my grandfather because he died very young. My grandmother has told me stories of how she raised my father, Samuel and his brother David while she was 8 months pregnant with her third son, William, when my grandfather unexpectedly died of heart failure just a few years after returning from WWII.

I felt this strong emotional connection as I was overwhelmed to be talking with a man who to most would be considered a stranger, but to me it was as if he in a way was encouraging me for those times I never got to sit and talk with my grandfather and listen to his stories.

Jose sang us a poetry piece that he wrote for his wife, but his throat hurt and he was unable to finish. However, he did use the recorder I brought him and he even told me that I better save him a seat at my wedding and that he will sing a song for me on that special day.

He also shared with us that he enjoyed painting. He said, “I used to be able to paint a sketch of you right here If I wanted”, but since he had been shot in the neck he had lost the use of his right hand and the cataracts on both of his eyes have worsened over the years.

Next, Jose rolled up his pant leg and showed us his knee that had been giving him pain. He then explained that his right shoe was not zipped up because his foot was swollen from his leg pain. He said that if the doctors did not take away the pain he was going to have to cut his leg off himself. When asked if he was nervous about having knee surgery, he replied, “Why should I be?” “The Lord is with me” His faith and belief in God was encouraging and his sense of humor at age 85 was delightful. He asked us to take a picture with him before we had to leave.

Leah, Me, Jessica and of course Mr. Casanova himself!

I wished Jose a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year thanking him for our time together. Leah and I stood in the parking lot chatting with each other when we looked up to see to our surprise Jose speeding by in his scooter wearing his red cap and grinning from ear to ear.

I was so thankful for this great opportunity to meet with Jose and I hope we will meet again!

As a public relations student, I have learned that spending quality time with your audience and knowing who they are is necessary to be of value to your customers, clients, colleagues, etc.

Listening is another key to being of value. Understanding Jose’s Cuban culture through listening to his stories actually helped me to learn some things about myself and the things that I value most in life including the ones I too often take for granted, God, family and friends.

Choosing Value Over Success

2009-12-22T16:21:00.000-08:00

I had the great opportunity to participate in the NCAA Winning Careers in Athletics program in Tampa, Florida. The event was held at the St. Pete Times Forum in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships.

In our NCAA backpacks that each participant received, there was a card with a picture of white eggs and one golden egg in the middle of them. The bottom of the card displayed the message,

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein

Meeting professionals like Celia Slater, Ann Salerno, Karen Morrison and the entire Panel of women professionals who shared advice and experience for aspiring young women like myself was a great motivator for me.

From this experience, I am better prepared to apply my career values into my final college semester. One piece of advice that stood out to me was about taking the initiative to lead something, spoken by Amy Hayworth, Associate Athletics Director for University of South Florida.

GCSU teammates, Jessica Newland, Kelli McLane and I at DI V-ball games!

In an effort to lead something of value for our University, I have proposed to Wendell Stanton, our Athletic Director, about implementing a Women’s Leadership Symposium at GCSU addressing Gender Initiatives and Sports Career Development in March of 2010 for National Women’s History Month.

The author, Awista Ayub, of However Tall the Mountain is interested in speaking at our University along with some of the speakers I networked with this program.

Awista Ayub in the media-However Tall the Mountain Interview with CNN International Tues December 1, 2009: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/wor
ld/2009/12/01/sot.afghan.ayub.int.cnn

In addition, I have contacted our University President, Dorothy Leland, about supporting this effort as well as our Women’s Resource Center Coordinator, Jennifer Graham.

I am passionate about this as I look to inspire the next generation of women leaders. I would defiantly recommend this NCAA Winning Careers in Athletics program to those interested.

I also hope to be able to attend the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar in late January of 2010 or the NCAA Women's Leadership Symposium in May 2010.

PR In Action

2009-12-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

As a public relations student the ability to write well is so important. In order to write a story successfully whether that be a press release, a feature story or even for this public relations blog there is usually an interviewing process that is involved. Having great interviewing skills is just one way to becoming a better writer. I included in my video blog 3 tips to remember when conducting an interview. Here are the tips again in case you missed them.

1. Be Relaxed

2. Prepare questions before the Interview

3. Ask for 3 sources and contact information

From PR Fantasy Football Draft to Team PR

2009-11-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

It all started with our Fantasy Football team draft, which in the end resulted in one amazing team, Team PR.

Our Relay For Life Kickoff was a “perfectly pitched” event.

I was amazed at the flexibility of our team in seeing that everything was accomplished even if that meant doing something that was not an assigned task. Our team had the ability to recognize the need of the group and meet it as quickly and efficiently as possible. I think one of the greatest parts about being on a team is recognizing the strengths of individuals and then using those strengths to get the best results for the team. I can honestly say that this event could not have been implemented successfully without our entire team working together as one unified team.

It has been said that the team is as strong as its weakest link. While the lack of cupcakes may have been the missing link the morning of our event, I would argue that our event did not have a weakest link. Our team faced challenges, but we never let them interfere with our game plan- to make the event a success.

I would like to extend some quick shout outs to our team because I am so proud of all the work we accomplished for this event.

Cara- way to see things through even when you got sick, the decorations were fantastic

Courtney- kudos on the banner

Andrea and Keri- wonderful job making those final pieces come together with the slideshow

Beth and Tori -great job toughing it out there to get all those burgers and hotdogs cooked

Marianna- well done to you and the cupcake crew they were all so beautiful and delicious

Cassie- way to get the coleslaw and clean those dishes with cheer

Anna- making our candy list and bringing in the mother-load

Brooke- our MVP way to get Grits to hand it all over

Corinne- getting the insane amount of icing

Jennifer- making those birthday cards with a smile

Rachel - your gift wrapping (a skill I obviously don’t have)

Lyric -your composure as team captain and ability to keep the big picture in mind was valuable to our teams’ success.

Finally, to the woman who coached our team from the beginning when we were just draft picks to preparing us for the big game day event and making sure that we had enough cupcakes and even some gluten-free ones before the kickoff. Thank you Dr. Miller.

Whoever said woman can't play football, they were wrong.

Way to Go TEAM PR!

Its Movember

2009-11-21T12:44:00.000-08:00

In respect to my last post, I'm dedicating this post to Dr. Palmer and anyone who has been affected by prostate cancer.

Men all around the world suffer from prostate cancer and Movember is an annual celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues specifically prostate and testicular cancer.

The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia. The guys behind it joked about 80s fashion and decided it was time to bring the moustache back. In order to justify their Mos (Australian slang for moustache), they used their new looks to raise money for prostate cancer research never dreaming that facial hair would ultimately lead to a global movement that would get men talking about their health.

This Movember, the money raised in the U.S. will be split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program, which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.

To date, Movember has raised $47 million globally making it the world’s largest charity event for men. Help to change the face of men's health and spread awareness.

Please visit their website at www. Movember.com

Professor’s positive outlook on

2009-11-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

Dr. Eustace Palmer, professor in the Department of English and Rhetoric at Georgia College & State University, and a native of Sierra Leone is known by colleagues and students as a man of gentle words and one whose life has been mostly kept private.

When Palmer was asked to share his most private experiences surviving prostate cancer, he gently responded, “Well, of course.” His positive outlook can be defined in those three words, and his genuine character speaks volumes to students and colleagues alike.

In the summer of 1998, five years after taking his job at GCSU, Palmer was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was having his yearly checkup with his primary physician when he was referred to an urologist. The urologist examined Palmer, but found nothing. However, sixth months later, Palmer returned to the urologist for a more in-depth examination. The biopsy results came back positive in the early stages of prostate cancer.

Having been educated about his prostate cancer diagnosis and given options for treatment, which included surgery and radiation, Palmer opted for surgery, which consisted of complete removal of the prostate gland. Beginning in September of 1998, Palmer started the eight-month preparation for surgery by taking medications and undergoing chemotherapy. His surgery was scheduled to take place in May of 1999.

During his eight-month preparation for surgery, Palmer had still not been granted his citizenship in the United States due to an outbreak of civil war conflicts in Sierra Leone. In February of 1999, Palmer was hit with the horrifying news of his older brother’s death in the civil war conflict in Sierra Leone.

“I grieved the loss of my elder brother, I am now the oldest surviving child in our family of eight children.”

Palmer kept busy before he underwent surgery that summer.

“It helped to be busy. I did not need to spend time focusing on my circumstances,” Palmer said.

During this time, he continued volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, singing in his church choir, and conducting research at the University.

He approached his circumstances with pure optimism.

“I did not view it as life threatening or frightening, it was just an interesting unusual experience. I had actually never been admitted to the hospital before,” Palmer said.

For three consecutive weeks prior to his surgery, he gave a pint of blood. The three pints of blood were then given back to him during his surgery. The surgery was conducted at the Oconee Regional Medical Center in Milledgeville, Georgia. Everything went well with the surgery, and three weeks later he had the stitches removed. Directly after the surgery he had to learn to walk properly with the help of a nursing assistant.

Staying out of the classroom was not the case for Palmer. He returned to teach a summer session class in June following his surgery. Palmer continued to see his doctor every six months after his surgery and was glad to report that the prostate cancer was completely gone.

In Sierra Leone, his father, Frederick, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the latest stages. “People in my father’s village said it was the ‘old man’s disease,’ ” said Palmer. “This disease is certainly not a question of age; you can be diagnosed as a young man. If your father does not have it, it does not mean that you can’t have it. Mine was linked to being hereditary, but many cases are not”.

Palmer’s father, Frederick, died from prostate cancer in 1983 at the age of 74. His father had worked as a civil servant for ministry of works, which is compared to a Federal Government worker in United States.

Palmer suggests that young men should not be afraid to get regular check ups at the doctor and PSA tests.

“I am grateful to my urologist and doctor for being there throughout the entire process. I have confidence in the great health system here, and this is something that my father did not have access to in Sierra Leone”.

As a man who has been personally affected by war, death and cancer, his positive outlook remains an inspiration to many and his story gives hope to men everywhere.

bluetree concert Nov. 1 in Macon

2009-10-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Fellow Bloggers,

There will be a Christian concert this Sunday, Nov. 1, at Christ Chapel on Bass Rd. in north Macon. You can get $5 tickets by emailing Brian @wordtested@bellsouth.net and telling him your group name and how many tickets you want. They will hold them at Will Call for you at the front doors of the church. Christ Chapel is in the old Sports Town building and it's a great place to have a concert.

The group is called bluetree. They are from Ireland and have toured all over the world with their hit song, God of this city.

If you go on your own without reservations and pay at the door, the cost is $10.

I am trying out the use of social media to promote this concert that I am interested in attending. I have used e-mail, Facebook, this blog and twitter to get out the message. As a public relations student, I am learning how valuable social media is in spreading the word around quickly and gaining support for an event like this!

Experiencing the Tipping Point

2009-10-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Gladwell mentions in his book that the tipping point is “the one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once.” This one dramatic moment is what I like to call a momentum builder or catalyst for change. It is in this moment where everything changes and the fire is fueled to keep on burning. Gladwell means just what he states on the front cover of his book, “How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference,” and I would argue how good things can become great things. I think Gladwell’s definition of the tipping point is a variation of many things that I have heard before, but yet I am still compelled by Gladwell’s commitment to seeing the tipping point “grow richer with each new reading” and his ability to inspire readers like myself to use the Tipping Point as a way to come up with new ideas using the word of mouth phenomenon and finding those types of people in society: Mavens, Connectors and Salesman.

I believe I am a Salesman at heart and a Connector as a result. Gladwell’s story with Tom Gau was a great example of a natural salesman and I found many common characteristics that we shared. Gau said, “If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed,” and I think there is so much truth in his statement. Many of the calculated risks I take daily are simply in a good effort to succeed using my best performance. In addition, I believe that I have a high level of connectedness given that I am naturally optimistic and persuasive as a Salesman. I have a great versatility to my work as a student and like Gladwell states, “ In the case of Connectors, their ability to span many different worlds is a function of something intrinsic to their personality, some combination of curiosity, self confidence, sociability and energy.”

For our Relay For Life event to “TIP” this semester, we must use our entire class made up of Mavens, Salesmen, and Connectors to work together and use our individual skills to better the group. I think our groups focus on the little things will make a big difference like Gladwell’s Power of Context example with the NYC Police and cutting down on crime. It’s those small out of context actions that get great results. My creative suggestion comes from my recent trip to the Atlanta Falcons game where the players were wearing pink sneakers, tape, gloves and the cheerleaders were also dressed in pink. The Falcons colors are red, white and black so this seemed out of context. However, they were doing this to promote breast cancer awareness. Implementing wearing purple at local community events, etc to promote Relay For Life seems to me would be highly effective. I think finding a similar niche place to promote Relay For Life would also be effective like the hair salon example in Gladwell’s book. I believe that our understanding in answering the question, Why Relay For Life? will help us to tip. This event is about these cancer survivors and their stories and helping to let others know through celebrating their memory. Like Gladwell’s smoking example, you can’t start to help people until you understand why people smoke.

Lastly, applying the use of social media is evident, the essence of the tipping point was using word of mouth phenomenon, but today there are so many ways through using the Internet to spread the word around. Viral marketing is a term to describe the way the Internet is used to spread a virus simultaneously and instantly through the Internet. One example is when Burger King launched a viral marketing campaign with its Subservient Chicken website. This was a hit and many people were prompted to go online and check it out. I believe that I have experienced the tipping point this semester through blogging and microblogging. The Kanye West performance that most of us blogged about in class is an example of how microblogging such as Twitter was used to spread information about Kanye West instantly. Also, participating in Blog Action Day was another great way to experience the tipping point and see how one little thing like writing a blog can make a big difference when you have many people joining in to do the same.

2010 South Africa World Cup & Climate Change

2009-10-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

As a college soccer player, I am passionate about the game of soccer and the cultural and environmental role soccer plays across the globe. For the first time ever the FIFA World Cup will be hosted by a nation in Africa. The tournament will be staged at 10 venues across nine South African cities. Johannesburg will be home to two World Cup stadiums Soccer City and Ellis Park. According to Climate Neutral Network, South Africa is committed to integrating environmental principles into the planning and organization of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Their aim is to enhance environmental sustainability for South Africa and its citizens, and to reinforce the significance of environmentally responsible lifestyles within the context of the 2010 Soccer World Cup and the country’s economic and social development programs.

In a recent article, Wendell Roelf commented that South Africa has often been commended for being most active among developing countries in fighting climate change. However, environmentalists say while South Africa Government has set ambitious targets, it has been slow in executing them.

While environmentalists may have a point here, it is evident that the 2010 South Africa World Cup presents an opportunity for South Africa’s Government to execute these targets. The South African Government is working with the UN Development Programme on an initiative involving carbon offsets for the World Cup. The 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup offers South Africa a unique opportunity to demonstrate to the world its commitment to responsible environmental management, while improving the living environment and livelihoods of South Africans. This event offers important opportunities to showcase how South Africa can respond to the challenges facing its region, the planet and most importantly what they can do differently today and for the future.

As a passionate public relations student, I believe my journey in finding a future job in public relations will include awareness on social responsibility issues for the given company or organization to which I will be working. As a college student, I hope to make the world a better place through using social media such as blogging on important social and environmental issues, and also through completing an internship hopefully with the 2010 South Africa World Cup. If chosen for this internship, I will be actively participating in the South African community while being apart of the sporting world and its commitment to environmental management. I believe that using social media like blogging and completing an internship will help me as I seek a future job in public relations.

I have included the information below for any students who happen to read my blog and are interested in a summer internship focused on climate change or global events. Future 500, a non-profit organization that works on corporate social responsibility issues is looking for 2-3 research interns.

Climate change - The intern will undertake in depth research on public and private policy in relation to the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December. The research will become the basis of presentations to corporate partners and may be distributed to other stakeholders.

Global Events - The intern will undertake research on key social issues and risks for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, and the Shanghai World Exposition May-October 2010.  

Please visit this website for more information on these internships.

http://www.ypfp.org/jobs/summer-research-internships

Relay For Life Pitch

2009-10-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Our PR administration class recently pitched different themes to the Relay For Life committee in Milledgveille. The group I was a part of was selected as the pitch winner. Our black and white Polaroid picture theme "Celebrate a Memory" will be used for this years event. I am excited to now begin the details for planning this event where over a hundred participants are expected to attend including this years Relay For Life team captains and cancer survivors. The one thing that I've learned from my first pitch experience is that it is all about the way you position your pitch, you must distinguish yourself a part from the rest by highlighting the benefits and connecting with your audience. I think building an image that involves the participant is so important. I am currently focused on working to get the community business owners involved by donating items for this event as I am in charge of our committee to budget cost of food, refreshments and table settings. The best part of having this unique opportunity is to get to work with my peers and together collaborate to put together an event that means so much to our community!

Life after college with Chris Carmichael

2009-09-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Chris Carmichael is the President of Surfperch Communications, a web and pr firm located in Portland, Oregon. http://www.surfperch.com/

I had the opportunity to do a career review on Chris Carmichael in March of 2008. Chris Carmichael shared many life lessons he experienced after college that have inspired me as a senior pr student. As future pr professionals we all seem to be asking ourselves the same question, What is next, you know, life after college? I hope you enjoy reading about Chris Carmichael’s experiences, and are encouraged about a future in public relations after college!

“I started as a technical writer for Intel, and then three years later I started my own web and pr company, but I traveled first. I landed one good client, saved all the money from the 3 week job, then drove around America for 6 months, I even drove through Milledgeville. Then I came home and did another web job, and went to Europe for 6 weeks after that. All in all, I traveled for 9 months of 1999 when I was 25 years old. I knew that I could always find a job, but travel experience was something I needed. More than anything I did not want to have regrets about, ‘I never went there or did that,’ especially if I had to get a job and support a family. I didn’t want to resent anyone in my life for trapping me into father/husband obligations. I wanted to get the entire travel itch out before I started a career.

Why do I tell you that? Because those trips have meant more to my professional career than any class I ever took. I recommend building up great life experiences that you can use later in life to connect to your clients, your audience, your friends, and so on. It doesn’t have to be traveling either. If your angling for a successful career, you need to use true-life experiences in order to connect emotionally with the people on which your career depends. It could be clients, viewers, readers, colleagues, etc. My own work involves being a chameleon for my clients. Sometimes its just simple web design, sometimes it’s pr such as writing press releases or handling an interview with the NY Times or designing a participation campaign, sometimes its search engine placement, doing e-commerce, setting up a blog/vlog or handling a domain name emergency, ghostwriting an article, speaking at a conference or setting up a press conference or whatever.
My best experience on the job has been working with different industries in the same week. I’m backstage with Billy Joel and his staff, and one day later I’m speaking at a conference in Hawaii on another clients dime. One week later, I’m helping a client through an Oprah appearance and using that to springboard a charity I work with into the national spotlight, watching their online donations explode. It’s totally, completely awesome. It’s the best job in the world and I don’t even know what to call it.

I also worked in Sicily (Dec 2003-June 2004). Hard to do when you can’t always get Internet access and the country shuts down from Noon-4 every day. I was a newlywed then, and my wife and I just hung out, learned how to cook, learned to appreciate great wine, stayed up late learning Italian with our new friends, and talked about how we wanted our lives to go. It was marriage boot camp, and we really dug it. It’s made our marriage really strong, because we took ourselves out of our comfort zone and made it work. I wholeheartedly recommend Sicily. Wow, what a place it will change your whole outlook on life. No matter when you go, or with whom, you wont ever regret it. Ever. http://www.thinksicily.com/

I know it’s not always easy, but it is best to pray about a choice, and then make one with absolute passion and gusto. Don’t bury the coins. Remember Moses standing at the shore of the Red Sea when the Egyptians were closing in: he said, ‘Wait, God will save us…just watch!’ God immediately smacked him upside the head and said, ‘What are you waiting for? I gave you a really cool staff…now move the ocean!’ (Paraphrasing of course) I try my best to listen to His direction and not plan too much ahead, for He is the ultimate source of peace and relevance to our lives. And in the end, the websites, and pr campaigns are all gone, but the charities we work with make real impacts on peoples lives.

Surfperch is one more way to bring the Icthus/Christian symbol…it’s also a popular Pacific Coast fish that lives only in the crashing waves steps from the shore. Its representative of our work, always ebbing, flowing and crashing around us, yet, the turmoil is what makes the excitement possible.

Opportunities are endless. Really. Every company and organization needs a website and pr, a marketing plan, technical assistance, and general advice. The idea here is to be indispensable to the client, no matter what their needs are. Best of luck to you in your career!”

Sincerely,

Chris Carmichael

PR Lessons from Kanye West

2009-09-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

The social networking website, Twitter was flooded with tweets about the Kanye West incident from Sunday night at the MTV Video Music Awards. There were over 5, 000 hits in the Twitter feed under Trending Topics: Kanye West. In our pr class we have talked about the effect of social media, and how it can explode to reach so many people in a short amount of time, and this is exactly what happened since this incident occurred. Kanye’s first apology after the incident was posted on his blog. This was the first of a total of four apologies, but the Jay Leno apology was the most public. The incident has been considered by some to be a PR stunt to help promote Jay Leno’s new prime time talk show on NBC. It is true that Kanye West’s appearance on the show helped Leno get a smashing start in television ratings, as the talk show pulled in over 15 million viewers. Even Obama had a say on the incident calling Kanye West a “jackass” in an off-the- record piece of a political interview on television. The remark was widely circulated by an ABC journalist who posted it on Twitter. This is not the first time Kanye West has been in the negative media spotlight, but the issue at hand is how we as pr professionals can learn from this pr incident. First, we must recognize the strong role and immediate effect that social media plays. Second, we must evaluate what is the best advice to be given as a pr counsel to Kanye West. As a pr professional you must try to understand how to handle a client who is in the public eye, and behaves in a negative manner. Does a public apology do the job or does more effort need to be done to counteract all the negative pr? There was plenty of negative pr being spread through micro blogging which included the following: Kanye being described as a racist, a troubled guy according to Bill O’Reilly, having a drinking habit that led to the specific incident, and most of all an outcry of disappointment and frustration from fans and other celebrities. We must address these questions and all the negative pr in the media in order to make a positive impact on the pr issue at hand. Whether or not Kanye West has learned from this incident, I can not say, but I can say that as a growing pr professional I am more aware of my immediate role and also the role that social media plays.

PR Profile

2009-09-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

According to the traditional skills of a pr professional, I would consider myself proficient in writing press releases, news stories, features and a variety of other written skills including my most recent being blogging.

I certainly have the skill for communicating well with others, which can comprise of an array of communication processes some of which include delegating tasks efficiently, confidence in public speaking and group presentations and most importantly listening to others whether that is my teammates, co-workers or a future employer.

My attention to detail and media relations has greatly increased over the years. I have gained a lot of experience in different work settings such as a marketing agency, a nonprofit organization and in advertising for our student newspaper. I have compiled media lists, met aggressive deadlines, and worked on building good relationships with clients.

Work ethic and proactiveness are a part of my character, for example, tonight after soccer practice I met with two advertising clients, but this was only after visiting each client two times prior over this past week. The extra effort and time devoted to what I am doing pays off, and this applies to everything in my life.

One area where I find myself in need of more practice is in taking more calculated risks and not fearing failure. Many successful people failed many times or took several risks before they achieved anything. Yesterday, our soccer coach played an inspirational online video showcasing these successful people who took risks and failed, some of which included Michael Jordon, Walt Disney and Abraham Lincoln. They all had to “fail forward” as my coach put it in order to achieve something great.

Check out this link to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6hz_s2XIAU

I am excited to learn more skills as I begin to get familiar with current technology and using the many social networking tools. I am a beginner blogger and microblogger, and I do not understand anything about blogger relations, but that is what this assignment is all about. In our classes, I look forward to discussing social media ethics, how to effectively promote an organization and implement an event and the pitching best practices.

PR Blog Comment

2009-08-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Everyone,

I have successfully created a blog! I am looking forward to being a blogger, and learning more about blogs! My blog question for the day is do bloggers end their blog with a sign off phrase like you see in a letter or e-mail? I have a lot to learn about blogs, so lets get started!

Thanks,

Kara