Senior Spotlight
The UGA AdPR Department is proud to feature some of our amazing Spring 2019 AdPR Graduates
Meet Brooke Malasek –
Hometown: Peachtree City, GA
Major and minor:Public Relations Major / Communication Studies Minor
Campus Involvement:I have loved being the PR and Marketing Officer for the UGA Aviation Club. I have also had so much fun being an intern with the AdPR Department throughout my senior year.
Do you have a job lined up for after graduation?
Yes, I do – I have accepted a position with Twilio as a Business Development Representative. Twilio is a cloud communications company which is exactly the type of field I wanted to get into. I am super excited for this opportunity and I can’t wait to start!
What advice do you have for students wanting to work in this kind of position or at this company?
My first bit of advice is to proactively look for a job in the field you want. Doing things like connecting with relevant people on LinkedIn and persistently applying to any open positions at those companies will show interest and determination. If you do get an interview, it’s also great to be able to say you were actively trying to get into their company and you weren’t just waiting around to see what recruiter came to you first – it shows you know what you want, and companies love seeing that kind of drive.
Secondly, I recommend doing your research on the company and on the field as a whole. I did not previously have much experience or knowledge about cloud communications or APIs (which is what Twilio is all about), so I did a substantial amount of research. It is important to learn about what differentiates the company you’re interviewing with from their competitors. During an interview, it’s important to explain why you want to work for a company that offers those differences. Also, these differences don’t necessarily have to be product/service-related details; for example, they can also be aspects like the overall company culture and values.
What skills did you learn from your AdPR classes that will help you in your career after UGA?
These last four years have taught me a lot about how to work as a team. Many of my PR classes had large group assignments where we had to come together as a team and accomplish our goals together. Teamwork is a very important skill to master as almost every career involves working with a group of people at some point or another, so I’m glad I have gotten a lot of practice with it.
Do have any AdPR Professors that really made a difference in your college experience?
I can honestly say that all of my professors I’ve had in the PR Department and in my communications classes have been incredible. I have also had numerous teachers outside of my major and minor that have really impacted me through my elective classes (for example, I loved Dr. Shockley). Within the AdPR Department and Grady, I would love to thank Tom Cullen and Tom Hudson – they had very different teaching styles, but both were very effective. I could see how much they truly care for every single one of their students and that kind of caring goes a long way.
What will you miss most about being a student in the AdPR Department?
I am going to miss working alongside such motivated and involved students. Everyone in my major is so capable, and I love the constant friendly-competition that it provided because it has always pushed me to keep doing my absolute best. I also loved how everyone was so friendly. This major was like a family – if you ever needed anything, all you had to do was ask and any professor or peer would gladly help you. I will forever be grateful to the AdPR Department for providing me such an incredible environment throughout my college career.
The AdPR Department is proud of seniors like Brooke Malasek, and we’re excited to keep up with her success after graduation!
