Member Monday

Happy Monday, November 8th everyone! This week we're shouting out Natalie Peralta, for her hard work. Thank you for being such a devoted PRSSA member.

Q: What year are you?

I am a sophomore.

Q: What is your major/minor?

My major is Public Relations, and my minor is Content Creation.

Q: Where are you from?

I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Q: How long have you been a member of PRSSA?

I officially joined PRSSA this semester.

Q: Why do you love PRSSA? What do you hope to get out of it?

I love PRSSA because the guest speakers are incredibly insightful, and overall I learn so many things that help me understand the industry better.

Q: What other TU organizations are you a part of?

Besides PRSSA, I am a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi.

Q: Coolest place you’ve ever traveled to?

The coolest place that I have traveled to is the Dominican Republic.

Q: Favorite social media platform and why?

My favorite social media platform is Tik Tok. I spend hours on it. I love how I learn new things on this platform, and I also enjoy watching all of the funny creators on the app.

Q: Dream job?

My dream job is to be an event planner.

Instagram Handle:

Advice for Current and Future Transfer Students

As a transfer student, transition can be super difficult, lonely, and confusing. In 2020, I transferred to Temple from the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). There are a few tips and general advice that I wish someone would have shared with me before and during my transition that I think is important to share. So, if you are new to Temple this semester or planning to transfer to Temple soon, here is my advice:

1. You Are Not Alone: When I first transferred to Temple I felt super alone. It felt as if I was the only one and that everyone else around me was comfortable at Temple. It’s important to remember you are not alone and there is an entire community of transfer students. My suggestion is to join Temple’s Transfer Student Facebook group. This group is an excellent way to meet fellow transfers, find answers to common questions, and even might be a way to find a roommate. Lots of times transfer students are looking for roommates because just like you they are new to the area. It’s even a great way to make new friends and enjoy Temple’s campus together so you don’t feel so alone.

2. Scholarship Opportunities: Something amazing about transferring is there are scholarship opportunities specifically for transfer students! Sometimes it can depend on what school you came from, or your GPA, but it’s something every transfer student should look into. My suggestion is to login onto Temple Scholarship Portal, https://temple.academicworks.com/, and see what’s available.

3. Get Involved Early: Getting involved in clubs and extracurricular activities has been the best way to make Temple feel like home. It has been how I have built relationships and friendships with my classmates and has opened up opportunities for internships. Whatever your major is, there is probably a school club that goes along with it. Sign-ups and payments for clubs are usually early in the semester, so my suggestion is to check them out as soon as possible. This is a great place to start looking for Temple clubs: https://temple.campuslabs.com/engage/

4. Follow Temple on Social: As a transfer student, you might not know what type of activities or events Temple has each year. Following Temple’s social media accounts is a great way to stay updated on what events are happening each week and month. Attending these events is a great way to make friends and relax outside of school work.

5. Meet With Your Advisor: My last piece of advice is to meet with your advisor. Meeting with your advisor helps ensure you are taking the right classes and meeting all the requirements for graduation. When transferring, some credits might not transfer with you and you may need extra classes you didn’t know about. Advisors help you break down the classes you need, as well as help you with other questions such as adding a minor or track.

This blog post was written by Lindsi Smith, Treasurer.

Speaker Recap - April Tinhorn: Native American Heritage Month Panel

Our speaker for the month of November was the wonderful April Tinhorn. Every month but especially this month, we honor/celebrate the culture and heritage of American Indian and Alaskan Native's.

PRSSA welcomed, April Tinhorn, our featured guest speaker from TinHorn consulting. She was born and raised on the Hualapai reservation in northern Arizona. She is also part Navajo and Chinese. April graduated with a B.S from Arizona State University and an M.S. from John Hopkins University in Computer Science. She started her career as a software engineer and web programmer at the National Security Agency, IBM, and Indian Health Services. Her passion and drive led her to create her own consulting agency, Tinhorn Consulting. In 2010, she was able to see her business grow within her target audience-tribal communities. Her goal is to spread the word for Native Americans and strengthen the movement in tribal communities through cultural strategic planning, web design, training, and storytelling.

April's firm gains most of their recognition from the positive representation they carry and uphold towards American Indians and Native-owned businesses. The TinHorn firm accomplishes this goal by empowering business clients and offering a wide variety of individual trainings and team building workshops. April's values and positive energy also resonates with her 9 year old daughter. She highlights the importance of how people need good mentors in their lives to drive their dreams.

Throughout her session, PRSSA members were able to ask a lot of questions regarding her nationality and how that paid a crucial part in her future accomplishments. Some of those question & answer responses are included below:

Q: “What is the best language to use when it comes to Native American culture?”

A: When in doubt ask! Her mom prefers Indian but April would find that offensive. Overall, she prefers native, but there are many different terms like Native, Indigenous and Indian- so it is important to ask.

Q: “What is a good way for people to educate themselves about modern Native American life and culture?”

A: TV is a good modern way to learn - example: the tv show Reservation dogs. It is important to question the sources from where you get your information.

Q: "How do you infuse your culture into your career?"

A: My culture is all over, it is involved in her logo, Native Americans are storytellers and she uses that in her job and career since storytelling is a part of her job as well. It is in the values and actions of her team, who a majority are Native American. It is also the strong ideals behind the fact that TinHorn is an all woman/Native American owned company.

Q: "Have you faced any barriers entering the communications field?"

A: She said the barrier is that she wasn’t formally trained. When she started out, she was so young that she had a lot to learn. Obstacles in her company included, the idea that people like to put people in boxes. April made sure that her company raises questions being a fusion alongside tech. There isn’t necessarily a box to put her company in. In the long run, when she embraced what made her different, her company prospered and that’s what she thinks made her company last with longevity.

Q: "Have you seen any changes in diversity in your career as a whole and what would you like to see changed?"

A: She says, people of color are now being invited to the table and there is more empowerment and ownership when it comes to creating POC spaces.

Overall, it was a privilege having April TinHorn come and speak to Temple PRSSA chapter. Not only did she brighten the room with her amazing spirit, but she gave valuable insight into her past and how her Native American heritage led her to where she is today. April is a perfect example of how mixing passion and culture within your PR Career can develop into something amazing.

This blog post was written by Lillian Sclafani, Digital Publications Editor