Quotes Corner: A Promising Semester Completed
By Kiara Almanzar, Quotes Creative Team Member
Quotes, the Ad/PR Club at UCF, had an exciting schedule this semester, packed with speaker events, a social and even agency tours. This fall, our organization returned to in-person events for the first time since COVID-19, and we had an excellent turnout throughout the semester.
Starting off the semester with a social, we hoped to excite new and old members at Burger U UCF right on campus in Knights Plaza. At this welcome social, aspiring Quotes members were able to meet our executive board and speak with our faculty adviser and UCF Advertising and Public Relations Instructor Lindsay Hudock about upcoming events, internships and what it means to be a Quotes member. The social was only the beginning of a semester full of enthused students.
Just days later, Lori Kifer Johnson, APR, of Edelman Orlando joined Quotes to give a virtual tour of Edelman Orlando and share insights about life at a big agency. During this virtual session, she also presented two case studies where she explained the importance of research and understanding your audience.
After that, we continued our Speaker Series from previous semesters, this time inviting Ali Beemer, APR, a PR representative from Universal Orlando Resort and FPRA Orlando chapter president, to discuss the role of public relations for Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN). During the presentation, she gave a behind-the-scenes look at how the Universal Orlando Resort team generated buzz by leveraging external media to help promote HHN’s 50th anniversary year.
With Intern Pursuit coming back in full swing and making its return to in-person this semester, we wanted to make sure our students were as prepared as they could be. With that in mind, our board organized several events this semester to get our members excited about our club’s premier event, all while equipping them with the tools they needed to succeed.
Preparation for Intern Pursuit included the Rockin’ Resume Workshop with UCF Advertising and Public Relations Instructor Gary LaPage. During this session, he guided students with the typical "dos and don'ts" of writing a resume. Heading into Intern Pursuit, he wanted students to understand that while resume formats are subjective, there are still many guidelines in place that you should follow to ensure that your resume looks clean and professional. We also continued our Intern Pursuit Bootcamp event featuring Rachel Ilardi and Megan Paquin, APR, CPRC as speakers.
A big highlight of the semester was the Quotes Alumni Panel. UCF Quotes alumni who have graduated and successfully taken on a career in communications were able to join us as they shared their experience thus far in the Ad/PR world and how the knowledge they gained through Quotes has helped them along the way. Students were able to ask them questions about how they got to where they are and how they managed to secure a career after graduation. It was a great way to engage students with people who they might relate to.
The semester ended with a tour at Evok Agency, which also included a presentation by Business Officer Terry Mooney and Agency Growth Strategist (and UCF alum!) Ariana Duran. The pair shared what a full-service agency like Evok does and the different paths you could take within an agency before opening it up to our members for questions.
Next semester, Quotes is lined with events with the goal of continuing to inspire and better UCF students and give them the opportunity to learn more about the PR world and prepare for the future. We hope you’ll join us!
