Nina Bayani is a fourth year from Dublin, GA, graduating in Spring 2021 with a B.A. in Public Relations and a certificate in Music Business. When she graduates, she wishes to work in the entertainment industry and become a publicist who works with various entertainment clients. She is passionate about storytelling, and during her time at Grady, she has gotten involved in anything she can to embrace that passion and develop her skills, exemplifying immense ambition and accomplishment.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunities Bayani had aligned for herself for the summer ended up being cancelled due to the virus. Even as the country was in a lockdown, she took this as an opportunity for growth and signed herself up for the Agency-Ready Certificate from the PR Council. This proves her driven nature as an ADPR student at UGA.
Her biggest advice for undergrad students considering a major in PR is to not be afraid! “It seems like very simple advice,” she says, “but when I applied to Grady, I remember being so nervous.” She advises underclassmen to use their statement of interest to help them stand out; “Show that you’re eager to learn, and you’re bound to go far!” – a purposeful statement by Bayani that holds true for all ADPR students.
Although she is a PR major, writing for the Red & Black was actually one of her first experiences after getting into Grady. Through this opportunity, she was able to strengthen her writing and journalism skills, which she feels was a great resource that helped her better approach all her PR experiences.
Another Grady experience Bayani encountered that shaped her outlook on the field was the ADPR NYC trip. She went on the trip in May 2019 where she connected with UGA alumni working at different agencies in New York and learned more about agency culture. She noted the difference in dynamics and structure she saw across the agencies she visited and how much she enjoyed being able to explore the city after agency tours.
Currently, she is the Co-Director of Member Relations & Recruitment for Talking Dog Agency, an organization that has had an influential role in her college career. Starting in the agency as a PR specialist just last year, she has had the opportunity to work with a real-world client alongside other talented students who inspired her to be her best self, helping her not only grow her professional skills but her self-confidence as well. As a current member of the Board of Directors, she had the opportunity to help lead Talking Dog’s first virtual recruitment, pulling out the same number of applicants as the organization has done in previous years, a success to be proud of during such uncertain times!
“I think what makes Grady stand out is the community that you can find almost anywhere you go, whether you’re around students, professors, people within the organizations you join, or even alumni,” says Bayani, “It makes me content to know that there are multiple peers and resources I can go to for support.”
Overall, Bayani has exemplified the values of accomplishment, determination, purpose and resourcefulness that make AdPR students great. The department can not wait to see where these values and skills take her after graduation!
