Alumni Spotlight: Shaun Luberski

Shaun Luberski (’16), Account Executive at Philadelphia magazine, became very successful in her career through lots of determination and dedication to what she does. From getting involved from the get-go her freshman year, to becoming secretary of PRowl, Luberski showed that a lot of hard work and dedication can really pay off.

Luberski’s public relations journey began when she set foot on campus as a strategic communications major. She started getting involved in many different clubs across campus, two of those clubs being PRSSA and PRowl. Coming from a large high school and being involved there, she wanted to get involved here as well and make new friends and learn more about the public relations field.

In her senior year, Luberski’s hard work led her to become secretary of PRowl. During her time at PRowl, she wrote about general body and executive board meetings to the firm, wrote weekly blog posts, and she even helped brainstorm, plan, and organize their first Alumni Panel!

Luberski attended many events during her time in PRSSA, including the TU Invitational, PRSSA National Conference and PPRA’s Career 101. Her favorite of all of these was going to the National Conferences in Washington DC and Philadelphia. She enjoyed being able to meet people from other PRSSA members from across the country, being able to travel with other members from Temple to Washington DC and attending different sessions.

Every day, Luberski gets to use the skills she’s learned from PRSSA, and she feels that it really prepared her for the career she has today at Philadelphia magazine. “I feel prepared in everyday situations such as client meetings and networking events because of skills I learned in both organizations,” she said. She is very thankful for the friends and connections she’s made, along with the experience she’s gained from PRSSA and PRowl.

Since graduating from Temple in 2016, Luberski became an Account Executive for Philadelphia magazine, also known as “Philly Mag.” Here, she develops and sells media programs to many of her clients, gets to know the various businesses and audiences, and helps give exposure and awareness to the companies. PRSSA and PRowl really helped Luberski with her career, as she said, “I am so thankful for Temple, PRSSA and PRowl! It was an incredible experience and helped ‘PRepare’ me for my post-college life in so many ways!”

This blog post was written by Christina Billie, General Body Member.

Membership Spotlight: Christina Billie

The fifth membership spotlight of the spring semester is Christina Billie, a freshman majoring in public relations. This is Christina’s first semester as a member of PRSSA and she is already standing out! Christina can often be found writing blogs for both Temple PRSSA and the Temple Odyssey.

Here is a Q&A session with Christina:

Q: Where are you from? What is your major/minor?

A: I'm from Aston, PA in Delaware County (aka Delco). I'm majoring in public relations.

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

A: I love PRSSA because the people involved are so nice, and I get a taste of what I could be doing for a future career! I hope to get a lot of experience and hopefully make some connections through PRSSA as well.

Q: What committee are you a part of? What have you done with this committee?

A: I am a part of the digital committee, and right now I am working on writing a blog for the alumni spotlight!

Q: What PRSSA events have you participated in?

A: I haven't gone to any PRSSA events yet, but I'm hoping to go to a few by the end of the semester!

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

A: I write for Temple Odyssey, and I put out posts every Monday! My very first article is live called "6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To College In Philly," and my second one will be up next Monday (2/25) called "It's Midterm Season, So Here Are 7 Tips To Get Through It."

Q: What is the coolest place you’ve ever visited?

A: In 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to Portugal to visit my mom's side of the family! They live outside of Lisbon, but we got to travel all over the country. There's a beach in the south called Praia da Marinha that has the clearest water I've ever seen and was at the bottom of this huge cliff that we had to walk down. That was definitely the coolest place I've been to.

Q: Favorite social media platform and why?

A: My favorite social media platform is Instagram because I love taking pictures and getting my picture taken wherever I go, and I get the chance to share it with my family and friends. My Instagram is @christinabillie if you want to give it a follow!

Q: Dream job?

A: My dream job is to work as a social media specialist for a major company or PR firm, preferably in New York or Los Angeles!

This blog post was written by Caitlin Gemmi, Digital Publications Editor & Christina Billie, General Body Member & Spotlight Recipient.

Speaker Recap - Brittany Harmon

On Tuesday, February 19, our chapter had the pleasure hosting Brittany Harmon, an account director for Weber Shandwick at their Philadelphia location. With almost 10 years of agency experience, Harmon discussed how her career in public relations started when she was in college.

A loyal Blue Hen (University of Delaware’s mascot), Harmon shared with our chapter that she originally wanted to be a magazine editor. However, with a cautious recommendation provided by a professor of hers, Harmon began to rethink a career in journalism and soon discovered public relations. Holding multiple leadership positions for industry-related school clubs, Harmon was able to gain hands-on experience in public relations and credited her leadership roles to much of her success.

Between her involvement in college, constant networking and endless handouts of her resume, Harmon secured an internship with Aloysius Butler & Clark upon graduation. Her drive and passion did not end there, as an intern, she continued to network and hand her resume to anyone who would take it which led her to earning a temp to perm position with Vault Communications. Within one month of her time with Vault, Harmon was offered a full time position. After four years with Vault, Harmon decided to join Tonic Life Communications where she discovered her love for healthcare communications. Moving from Tonic Life Communications to Ruder Finn, it did not take long for Harmon to get recruited by Weber Shandwick for their new Philadelphia offices.

As an account director for Weber Shandwick, Harmon works with celebrities and spokespeople to elevate disease awareness. One example she shared with us was her work for Excedrin - a leading medicine for headache and migraine pain relief. During the time of the 2018 NBA draft, when the biggest headache was fans wondering which city Lebron James would end up in, Harmon and the Excedrin team created a campaign to hand out samples of the medicine to alleviate fans headaches. This campaign is just one of many Harmon has had her hands on.

While the opportunities Harmon earned are invaluable experiences and allowed her to get to where she is now, she ended her presentation with eight tips we can begin adopting now to get to where we want to be one day.

Her tips include:

1. Rolling up your sleeves

Harmon emphasized the importance of being a team member and being there for your manager.

2. Ask questions

Asking questions will not only save time in the future for you and your manager, but it will allow you to grow your skills and gain knowledge you might not have acquired without asking.

3. Be proactive

Always think two steps ahead, it’s good for both your team and your client.

4. Be flexible

Things come up suddenly, be flexible and ready to handle your clients needs when they ask.

5. Read, read, read

Keeping up with industry trends and news is the best way to continue learning and keeping your client happy. Knowing the answers to questions they ask before they even ask them will only solidify client relationships.

6. Clean up your social

Employers see what you post online, so be smart about what you share. And in Harmon’s words, “Private is private, but only to an extent.”

7. Be creative

Positioning yourself in a creative way will not only help you stand out, but it will leave a lasting impression in an employer’s mind.

8. Have fun!

Yes the work we do is important but at the end of the day, we’re not curing cancer. Work hard and work smart, but be sure to live your life also.

This blog post was written by Allison Eckel, Director of Social Media