It's Been Fun

Time Well Spent

By Aaron Vossen

Throughout my time at OU I have ventured in many different directions. I have thought I would have been a doctor by now, an astronaut, an FBI agent, and at some point in my life I even thought I might be a SWAT guy. But none of these ever seemed to work. None of these were my passion; none of these seemed to fit. Then I began looking at what I do enjoy, conversation, public speaking, and fighting for what I believe in. The answer was Public Relations.

Public Relations had always been in the back of my head because of what my father does, but I had never taken it seriously. Now I look at my life, and I know it where I want to be. I have had a great time learning new skills, and honing in on skills that I never new I had but that I already had.

In my future I would like to work for a corporate company such as AT&T or some other big corporate office such as Devon, Chesapeake, or Conoco Phillips, but as far as I am concerned I would take anything at this point in my life because I have been trained and I can achieve these things but anything is better than nothing for a college graduate.

The last thing I would like to look at is my alternative. Here recently I have found myself wanting to practice law. I don’t know why this ambition has come to mind but for whatever reason I really, really want to. I would love to visit KU and get this because I am a huge Kansas fan. If it doesn’t work out then I have still had a fun ride and I hope others enjoy the ride as much as I have, no matter which ride they choose.

No More Questioning

No More Questioning by Katie Whittern

As I look back on my four years here at the University of Oklahoma, I sometimes wonder what my life would be like had I taken a different route. What if I decided to go to Oklahoma State University and major in Fashion Merchandising like I had originally planned? What if I had stayed a business major here at OU? What if I had decided against taking my internship at AT&T this past summer in Dallas?

I could sit for days and wonder how different my life would be had I chosen a different path. But to be completely honest with you...I'm glad I chose the path I did.

I'm glad I chose OU over OSU... all of my best friends and now roommates are from OU.

I'm glad I strayed away from the business college... honestly I probably would have failed out of all my classes and switched to public relations anyway.

I'm glad I put on my big girl panties and interned AWAY from home this summer... I grew up a lot, learned so much and met a lot of awesome people.

There are probably hundreds of decisions I have made over the years I could question. But, I don't. Why waste your time? As cliche as it might be, I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe you make the choices you make for a reason. I believe everyone is right where they are supposed to be. Pardon the motivational speaker moment I just had by the way.

So, as I look back on my last four years of college, I am happy with the decisions I made. They led me to this exact apartment with these exact friends on this exact computer writing for this exact class for this exact major at this exact school... and I would not have it any other way.

As I bring this sappy post to a close, I have a few words of wisdom... if you want to call it that.

1. Be happy with where you are in life and if you are not, do something about it. 2. Always try new things to add some spice to your life. Don't let your life get repetitive and boring. 3. Don't waste your time questioning your past decisions. They are made. Move on and make the best out of where you are right now.

An Interview with Dad

An Interview with Dad

By Aaron Vossen

For this entry, I didn’t have to do much searching or work so here goes nothing. When I think about a PR Professional I think about my father Kevin. My dad has been working at ATT for the last 28 years. My father didn’t start right out of college as a Public Relations practitioner but eventually with hard work, and encouragement from friends and family my dad became the Director of External Affairs.
My dad graduated for Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. So as many of you know this is where my Kansas love started. While at school my father studied Journalism, worked for the paper, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. After college he came straight to work at the phone company and has worked there ever since.
When I began talking to my dad it was a little strange because talking serious with him is hard, just like me, we both love to joke, laugh, and give each other a hard time, but boy do I love him. Growing up I have always been like him and have known I would one day hopefully follow in his footsteps. So like I have asked him many times what do you need to be a good PR practitioner and he replied well I know you need to be a good writer, analytical, creative and an outgoing personality.
The last think I asked him is what advice would you give to future practitioner and he said wherever you may find yourself working be sure to understand the issue of the client for a successful and strategic campaign.

Picture By Aaron Vossen

AT&T and Public Relations

AT&T and Public Relations by Katie Whittern

“Have a passion to work and be the best you can be."

Patsy Weiser lives by this quote day in and day out. Weiser is the Area Marketing and Public Relations Manager for AT&T Yellow Pages. She works with all of the AT&T offices in the Oklahoma and Kansas areas. Weiser has been with the company for more than 14 years. Before becoming an Area Marketing and PR Manager, Weiser was an executive secretary for AT&T and also spent some time being a Rental Car Sales Agent.

Weiser received her Bachelors in Human Resource Management. She later went on to receive her Masters in Management Information Systems.

Weiser believes anyone entering the PR industry should first have an understanding of his or her employer and the community in which he or she will work. Understanding your company’s mission and the publics it serves are very important she said.

She believes attending local events that help with networking for your company is necessary as well as involvement in the local Chamber of Commerce. One must possess the ability to communicate effectively, especially with other businesses within his or her community she said.

Weiser believes that being able to take constructive criticism and advice from people is also important. “More heads are always better than one,” said Weiser.

Graduates entering the industry need to be comfortable and believe in teamwork.

“Teamwork is a big part of most jobs,” she said.

When asked what advice she would give to recent and future college grads; Weiser had plenty advice to share. She said to always have a positive attitude and stay away from negative people.

“Have the mindset that you will do whatever it takes to get the job done,” said Weiser.

She believes you should always stay true to who you are and represent yourself in a professional manner at all times. “When you are out in public or off the job, remember who you work for. You will be setting an example for your company as well as for yourself,” said Weiser.

Photo from yp.com