What do you do in your current position?
As the PR Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) in Philadelphia, I help our thousands of members promote the CPA profession and financial literacy to the public by securing speakers for presentations at schools, universities, and offices all over PA. I also help maintain the PICPA’s media relations by writing/distributing press releases to PA reporters announcing our members’ achievements, and pitching story ideas on finance as it relate to our consumers.
What is your favorite part about your job?
I’m almost always writing, which allows me to constantly express my creativity. Whether it’s writing press releases, copy for our consumer brochures, pieces for the PICPA’s quarterly magazine (Pennsylvania CPA Journal), or emails to members, there’s a level of autonomy and independence that comes with my position. And because of the variety of tasks, every day is different.
What made you choose journalism?
Growing up I always knew I wanted to write for a career, but I never knew exactly how I wanted to do it. Then I took a journalism class in high school, which changed everything. I became editor of the high school’s paper the following year and decided to study journalism in college. However, the true “aha!” experience wasn’t until I became involved with The Signal at TCNJ. That’s when I knew that writing stories is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Tell us about the importance of getting involved in student media at TCNJ.
Getting involved in student media at TCNJ opens the door to many opportunities, both during your undergraduate career and post-grad. You get to apply what you’ve learned in class through hands-on, practical experiences, resulting in an impressive portfolio that you can show to potential employers. Getting involved also creates positive, everlasting memories. Eating pizza and singing/dancing to Shakira Monday nights until 2:00 the next morning, all while ensuring that each issue of The Signal is the best it can be, makes for an experience that I will never forget.