Name

Ashlyn Kloda

Hometown 

Cumming, GA

Majors/Certificate:

Public Relations and International Affairs; New Media Certificate

Campus involvement 

Throughout my time at the University of Georgia, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to get involved in several organizations that have helped me build my skills in the communications field. I currently serve as the Project Manager for the Little Otter team at the Talking Dog Agency, I’m the creative lead for my team in UGA’s Digital Marketing Competition working with Hotel Indigo and I’m a member of PRSSA. 

What are your career goals?

My goal after graduation is to work at a leading agency that will allow me to strengthen and develop the skills I’ve learned throughout my time at Grady. Eventually, I would like to work my way up and lead a PR or Marketing department!

What advice do you have for students who have the same career goals as you?

Get involved and get experience! There are so many organizations, competitions and internships available to you on campus – take advantage of them! Speaking of which, I strongly believe that all Advertising and Public Relations students should apply for the Talking Dog Agency. If you haven’t heard of Talking Dog, it’s an incredibly successful, student-run agency right here at UGA. Working with Talking Dog has been one of my favorite college experiences. I’ve learned so much from all of the talented people on staff, and it’s given me a substantial amount of real-world agency experience and exposure to extraordinary clients. 

Why did you choose to major in Public Relations? How do you think your major will help you in the future?

I chose to major in Public Relations because I love how it focuses on the building and strengthening of relationships between clients and the community. It’s a field that fosters positive change and has a tremendous impact on the world we live in. 

What is a cool internship you had since during your time being a student? What did you like about the internship?

One of my favorite internships that I’ve had was working at Wells Fargo last summer at their headquarters in San Francisco. Being a Marketing Execution Analytics Intern on the Campaign Fulfillment Solutions team was a unique experience for me because at the time, I had only worked on the creative side and initial development of Marketing and Communications campaigns. Working in Campaign Fulfillment Solutions allowed me to gain exposure to the back-end of campaigns – analyzing data, determining their success and brainstorming potential improvements. This internship gave me a holistic perspective on campaign development that has stuck with me since!

What skills did you learn from your AdPR classes that will help you in your career after UGA?

Research, research, research! It’s incredibly important to conduct surveys, test campaign messages with focus groups and have data to back up your ideas. It’s better to spend the time and effort on the front-end than to spend millions of dollars correcting easily preventable mistakes.

Do you have any AdPR professors that made a difference in your college experience?

Tom Cullen and Kim Landrum have both made a tremendous impact on my college experience. The two of them were never afraid to give me honest feedback, even if it meant scrapping everything and starting at square one. Their tough love allowed me to reach my fullest potential in their classes and I feel that I have grown as a communicator because of it.