From Feeding Children to Midnight Streaks

"From Feeding Children to Midnight Streaks"
by Rebekah Husted

Kristin Richter, the public relations manager at City Arts Center in Oklahoma City, has been busy the past six years, traveling the globe, receiving one of the PR industry's highest honors for young professionals, organizing events in multiple cities and building her own family while she was at it.

Richter graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Journalism in December, 2003. She was first drawn to public relations by her father, but then, she said, "I tried one class and I loved it!"

As associate director of public relations with Feed the Children, and at only 25 years old, Richter was named to PR News' "15 to Watch" in 2006. Richter considers this to be her biggest professional achievement.

"I won this award when I was 25 years old and had been in the business for less than three years," Richter said. "It was an amazing experience!"

While at Feed the Children, Richter also had her most memorable professional experience when she traveled with the organization's director to Africa. She conducted her first press conference - ever - in Nairobi, Kenya.

"Mind you, I had never hosted a press conference before," Richter said. "I think that was the first moment that I really took a step back and took a deep breath and realized what I had just done. The sense of accomplishment was amazing!"

Now, Richter works closer to home. Her days usually begin at 6:30 a.m., when she checks her e-mail before even getting out of bed. At work, her activities range from processing invoices and keeping up with media placements to updating Facebook, Twitter and Myspace and meeting with co-workers to plan upcoming events, such as the Center's annual Midnight Streak. Her official day ends at 5 p.m. when she picks up her young son, but she continues to check her e-mail and put out fires while at home.

Richter has several suggestions for young professionals just beginning their PR careers. First, she says, "never stop learning."

"Never become complacent with your knowledge. Adapt to the social changes within your profession as you will be extremely valuable if you do. Don't let things slip past you. Always keep up with what is going on in your profession."

On a more personal level, though, Richter emphasizes the importance of not letting the "real world" intimidate you.

"It is easy to be intimidated and want to crawl into a hole because you have no idea what you are doing. Ask TONS of questions! Find a mentor and ask them everything that you can think of! Be aggressive - show your employer that you are eager to work for them."

Finally, Richter suggests, "find a job that will allow you to travel and see the world. You won't regret it."

"Plus," she concludes, "it will create a ton of interesting stories that you can tell your children someday!"