J&PR Wired
Writing into his Future
By Katelyn Somers
One Step Ahead
By Emerald Carroll
Graduating a semester earlier than planned may seem like a scary push into the "real world," but for Jillian Luchsinger it was just the push she needed.
Luchsinger planned on graduating from the journalism and public relations program at Chico State in December 2013. But plans quickly changed when Luchsinger went to her adviser to discuss graduation.
"When I went in for advising there had been some requirement changes that worked in my favor and I was able to graduate ahead of schedule," Luchsinger said.
Although the news came as a slight shock, Luchsinger was more excited than nervous.
"I found out in April that I was graduating in May, so I didn't really have time to feel nervous," she said. "I always wanted to get out in the real world and start working so that I could apply all of the skills I learned in my PR classes to a job."
Graduating from college is an exciting experience, but searching for jobs and internships can make it stressful. Once again, Luchsinger was ahead of the game and already had a summer internship lined up in the client services department at America's Cup, the world’s oldest international sporting event. Luchsinger began her internship the week following graduation.
Luchsinger worked closely with four women to provide support for the various sponsors of the event including Louis Vuitton, PUMA, Lexus and Kleen Kanteen.
"I was surrounded by a group of really powerful and amazing girls who took the time to make sure I was involved and made connections to help me find future positions," Luchsinger said.
She was assigned projects that allowed her to interact one-on-one with clients. Her tasks included making a partner operations manual, several branding guidelines and overview presentations, maintaining an event schedule to be released weekly to the partners, and planning and executing client guest experiences.
Luchsinger's dream is to work in sports, so this was an ideal position to start her career, as it allowed her to make connections in the industry.
"The experience working in international sports marketing helped me realize how I can be a successful public relations professional in the event industry," Luchsinger said. "It was one of the most exciting opportunities I have ever had and it will certainly be a hard position to top."
"Tehama Group Communications was probably one of the most beneficial opportunities that I had at Chico State," Luchsinger said. "It gave me the experience of working with real clients and the confidence to go out in the real world with an understanding of what goes on."
JOUR 351, fondly known as "PR Pubs," also helped Luchsinger stand out among her peers at America's Cup.
Luchsinger's clients wanted a map of their branding throughout the venue and Luchsinger was able to create one using the skills she learned in PR publications.
"I totally winged it and it turned out great, but more importantly it gave me a chance to stand out," Luchsinger said.
