As a soon-to-be public relations graduate, I’m excited, but feel pressured. There’s no doubt I’m confident with the skills and knowledge I have learned. At times I feel blessed having been accepted into a program that only accepts 40 applicants out of 200, sometimes more. The pressure, I think, dawns from the recent recession affecting employment opportunities and the transition from a learning student to a working professional. It screams competition! Some would say it could be worse, but everyday I feel like a broken record. I keep asking the same question over and over: what do I do?
In addition to being accepted into one of the best programs at Algonquin College, I also had the opportunity to meet some of the best PR and media professionals in Ottawa. They include: Stephen Heckbert, Andrea Petruzella, Peter Larock, Claudine Wilson, LeeEllen Carroll, Bradley Moseley-Williams, Al Urhyniw, Patti Church, Lee McCoy, Helen Flaherty, James T. Careless, Hailey Kahn, Marilyn Mikkelsen, and Peggi Stark Adams.
Even though they represent various areas of public relations, they are all mentors and I can’t thank them enough for relieving my concerns and, at times, lifting weight off my shoulders and helping me move forward. A great thing about having multi-faceted mentors is they all have different answers. This allowed me to analyze all sides of the story, or in this case the field, and I wasn’t limited to one outcome, or opportunity.
In four years, I have seized opportunities, rolled with the punches, and sometimes failed. Learned from mistakes, moved on, and have no regrets.
So, what do I do? To answer this, I’m going to share with you some words of inspiration from my mentors. Maybe you can benefit from these as well:
“Marks don’t matter. It’s what you learn and how you do it that matters most.”
“Every person you meet could be a potential opportunity. It’s not what they can do for you, but what you can do for them.”
“Volunteering is the most respectable work you’ll ever do. You’ll quickly learn what you like and don’t like and you don’t have to worry about getting fired in the process.”
“You may not always like what you’re doing, or who you’re working with, but that’s reality.”
“Complainers don’t get ahead in life. Those ahead, never complain.”


