Paying it Forward

About a year after I earned my bachelor’s degree, I started a public relations company, Integrity Public Relations, Inc. I owe a great deal of the success of my business to the professors, mentors, and colleagues who graciously provided me with their wisdom, experience, and advice, over the past 23 years.

After years of serving as a mentor supporting the students of my former professors at my alma mater, California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), I felt the calling to have my own classroom. Shortly after receiving my master’s degree from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, I was hired as a part-time lecturer teaching the public relations management capstone courses at CSUF.

Nearly nine years later, I’m still running my public relations company and I’m now a full-time lecturer teaching several upper-division courses including: Introduction to Public Relations, Advanced Public Relations Writing, Social Media for Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Public Relations Management, and PRactical ADvantage Communications (the college’s student-run integrated marketing agency). In addition, I serve as the faculty adviser for the CSUF chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), the CSUF Disney Club, and the National Faculty Adviser for PRSSA.

The practice of introducing real-world practices and tools from my consulting business to my students in the classroom provides them with valuable knowledge and experience that has proven to differentiate them in the interview process and helped them integrate faster into their positions as new hires. Based upon the suggestions from many of my students, I made the decision to share my insights and resources with students outside the walls of the College.

It is my hope that the insights that I share from my experiences as an entrepreneur, business owner, and marketing consultant will be of value, especially to current and recently-graduated students, as well as other public relations consultants like myself.

According to one of my students, "it's about time!" So here we go!