Katy Bergman with United Way of Central Oklahoma

By: Jenny Bell

Katy Bergman is the public relations and event planning coordinator at the United Way of Central Oklahoma Chapter. Including a year and a half of internship experience, Katy has only been working in the public relations industry for three years. She has held her current title as the public relations and event planning coordinator for almost two years now.

Bergman graduated from the University of Oklahoma in May 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with an emphasis on pubic relations. She gained her internship experience during her senior year at the University of Oklahoma. She was actually the public relations intern for the United Way of Central Oklahoma. While striving to obtain her B.A. she was also interning 30 hours a week for United Way.

When I asked Bergman what she thought the essential skills were for a PR professional, I was happy to see that they were skills I have either learned or am currently learning. " A PR professional definitely needs to be proficient in Adobe and Microsoft Office," Bergman said. She talked about how these two programs are the foundation for most public relations work. " A couple other skills that I think are essential to a PR professional are strong written and verbal skills," Bergman said. Bergman also told me that having a strong sense of creativity and having the ability to be flexible in any situation are necessary to succeeded as a PR Professional. Bergman said, " The public is always changing, and you have to be able to change with them and grab their attention."

Bergman gave me several great tips of advice for future PR professionals. The three tips of advice Bergman gave me were to have internship experience, be confident and get involved in groups. When talking about internship experience, Bergman said, "You may surprise yourself with what you like and what is out there". Bergman really stressed the importance of getting involved in groups for networking purposes. " Once your graduate and begin working, networking is a must," Bergman said.

I can agree with Bergman that confidence is an important characteristic for an professional to have. Although I don't have much internship experience, Bergman made me feel better about graduating and starting my career. "As a young professional, you have a lot to offer the workplace, so don't be afraid to let your fresh opinion be known."