In the Fall of 2015, I embarked on my college journey at Temple University. I started off my career path as an Information Science and Technology major in the College of Science and Technology. Coding used to intrigue me, but I felt that I couldn’t envision myself this career path. I felt that I lacked competence in my major, and I felt that I needed a career switch. In the summer of 2018, I made the decision to take control of my life and make a change for my anticipated senior year.
Many individuals were appalled at my decision to make a career change. “Why change in your senior year?”, “You’re wasting your money”, with the number of comments I was receiving about changing my major, I could’ve written a whole book. By making this change I felt I was living up the definition of my name, Raeesah. Raeesah in Arabic is defined as “leader, chief, princess, and noble lady”. My parents always preached for me to “ be a leader and not a follower”. By changing my major I started to lead myself in the right direction.
Fall 2018, officially I was a Public Relations major in Lew Klein College of Media and Communication. My first semester as a public relations major was about educating and diving into the means of PR. I changed to public relations because I wanted to use my personality and communication in a career path where I can start within an objective and attain a clear goal. In my second semester in public relations, I joined Temple University’s Public Relations Student Society Association (PRSSA). I learned all of the opportunities the major and college had for professional development. Also, I attended their Regional Conference which confirmed that I want to work within the field of diversity, inclusion, and equity.
While expanding my knowledge in public relations, I learned what my true life passion was, “Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity”. I chose Temple University because I wanted to be in an environment that was culturally diverse opposed to my hometown of the Poconos, Pennsylvania. Then I started to realize all my coursework was about progression and topics targeting diversity and inclusion in minority communities.
In my “Research Methods” class, my professor nominated my research group to present our course project at Klein “Diversity and Inclusion Presentation in April 2019. It was an honor to see our hard work to bring brand awareness and engagement to an organization that gathers college students to mentor at a local high school. The most rewarding part of this experience was showing my passion with peers who wanted to make a change throughout the career path of public relations.
Fall of 2019 is my last full-time semester as an undergraduate student. This semester has been one of the hardest semesters thus far. I currently take 18 college credits, an intern at Harmelin Media, Temple Student Government and Student Training and Rewards Program Representative for the Temple University Black Public Relations Society, an Account Associate at PRowl Public Relations, mentor within Temple University PRSSA, and work as a makeup artist and skincare specialist at Bluemercury. Staying on the go helps sustain productivity personally, academically, and professionally.
In October 2019, Temple University’s Department of Advertising and Public Relations nominated me and 5 other students to attend the Multicultural Talent Pipeline (MCTP) in Atlanta, Georgia. Students were required are involved with diversity and inclusion within the media industry. The conference assisted in expanding my network and knowledge of my intended career path.
Changing my major has made assisted in my overall quality of life. I never had a professor who believed in me, whether it is inside or outside of the classroom. Klein College has provided so many opportunities like my internship, student organization, networking, and overall preparation for the real world. Switching my major to Public Relations was the best move for the next stages of my life. In the next stages of my life, I hope to find a full-time job for January 2020, since I will be attending school part-time during the evenings. Wish me luck in 2020 with “Raeesah, Searching For a Full-Time Job”. #HireMe #DiveristyandInclusion #PublicRelations.
–Raeesah Twahir
prowlpr.com 