November President’s Message: Student Connections

Last week, we hosted more than 70 students at the October luncheon as part of Student Connections Week. We opened the doors early at the Jefferson Lakeside Country Club for mentors and students to connect and get to know each other. There were handshakes galore and business cards swapped left and right. I’m confident some lifetime connections were made. You could feel the energy in the room.

I participated in Student Connections Week – then called Diversity Days – as a college student at VCU. I was fortunate to shadow PRSA Richmond past president Bob Spieldenner, APR for a day at his office. It was an incredible opportunity to see a PR professional on-the-job. Bob was incredibly generous with his time and provided some résumé support afterwards. It was an invaluable experience.

Here’s my request to you: Pretend it’s Student Connections Week every week.

Grab coffee with students. Review resumes. Bring students to PRSA Richmond luncheons. Your experience and advice can guide students and help them navigate the PR field. A fifteen-minute conversation can inspire someone’s PR path. Isn’t that exciting?

There’s another way you can help students. Donate to the Richmond Public Relations Foundation. As the charitable arm of PRSA Richmond, the foundation was created in 1999 with the purpose of enhancing the public relations profession. Every year, the foundation awards scholarships to colleges and universities in Central Virginia.

At the November luncheon, three $1,500 scholarships will be given to students. Wouldn’t you like to support the next round of scholarships? You can. Give to the Richmond Public Relations Foundation today.

For every $25 you give to the foundation in November, you will receive a raffle ticket. At the end of the month, we will draw one lucky winner to win an exciting basket of prizes.

See you later this month.

Sincerely,

Cameron McPherson, APR
PRSA Richmond President