On Tuesday, May 27 we visited the Centennial Olympic Park in downtown
He started out with an internship in
Since the park is located in downtown
AJ was a wonderful speaker and really gave insight on what it’s like to be right out of college and the best way to seek out a job with success.
Our class was greeted early Thursday morning by Tony Clark, Director of Public Affairs for the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and a former colleague of Dean Bierbaurer at CNN. He gave our class a brief tour of the Center which is located in a wooded, 35-acre park just five minutes from downtown
After the tour, Mr. Clark turned the presentation over to Lauren Delaney, Director of Education for the
The
I am very grateful to the staff of the
By Alyse Lovett and Meredith Stringer
The Coca-Cola Company is truly a magical place. The vending machines located in the company’s Atlanta headquarters offer employees (and certain special visitors) a free Coke at the touch of a button. The company prides itself on a product that people the world over can agree to love. Jonathan “Rocky” Rief, director of Public Policy, Trends, and Insights at Coca-Cola, gave us an inside look into research the company has done on several contemporary issues that affect public perception of the company.
Rief brought up the issue of the public’s lack of confidence in large corporations — a major challenge for the company. The company has counteracted this perception through its work as a socially responsible organization. Coca-Cola prides itself on making the world a better place by producing 100% recyclable materials, working with environmental organizations like the World Wildlife Federation, donating money toward education, and aiding in the efforts to combat childhood obesity.
In terms of the objectives that Coca-Cola strives to reach, Rief explained to us that there are several important things one must keep in mind. He admitted that one should “be proactive in neutralizing health concerns, but recognize that there are borders around the product.” Coca-Cola has reacted to Americans’ concerns about childhood obesity by offering beverages like Coke Zeroรค. Nevertheless, the company acknowledges that they cannot single-handedly end childhood obesity. The most beneficial tactic is simply to offer variety and options in Coke products.
Rief went on to advise, “When it comes to corporate social responsibility, less is more.” Though the endorser of a product must know what its customers and potential customers value and dislike, as well as the public’s general mood, they cannot make everyone happy. Rief and his team at Coca-Cola have an extensive knowledge of what the American people are thinking and feeling, but, as Rief contended, addressing all of the issues may lead to problems. The more effective method of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is to address select issues and address them well. As Rief explained, “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow: communicate Coca-Cola’s core values.”
Coca-Cola offers internships primarily during the summer in the areas of internal communications, media, healthcare, governmental affairs, environmental policy and brand public relations. For more information about applying and a list of possible placement opportunities, you can visit Coca-Cola Internships.
By Caroline Pollard
After a long trip to the
We met with Manager of Public Relations Cassandra Streich and Public Relations Coordinator Jennifer Maley. We were taken to an auditorium where we were able to pick both ladies’ brains about their jobs and what goes on in the museum before walking around to look at the artwork. Cassandra did most of the talking and told us about what she does as manager of public relations of the museum. She talked about what she does on a day-to-day basis, like staying in contact with reporters, writing press releases about anything she can think of for publicity, working with other departments to organize and manage the image of the museum and researching people in other cities up to four hours away in order to reach out to visitors who drive from out of town for a tour.
We also found out that Cassandra had a personal hand in bringing “The Louvre Atlanta” to the High. She speaks French, so three months into her job she was asked to go to
To end the discussion, she gave us advice about getting internships, being interested in the job you are doing, reading several companies’ press releases to pull from their style and make your own, knowing a foreign language and how it helps public relations practitioners and being organized and able to multi-task.
Near the end of our time at the museum we were free to roam about and look at the artwork that the museum had on display. We saw American and European art from centuries ago through the present. It was a great way to end the day and our amazing experience.
As our last stop of the day on Thursday, May 29, half of the class headed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After going through security we were greeted and escorted to their press room. Divya Nair, Press Assistant for CDC, informed the class that this room was used for all of their press conferences; most information was communicated over satellite or telephone.
The first to speak to our class was Dr. Eileen Farron who was in the Special Pathogens Branch Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases. Dr. Farron told the class about some of the research CDC does in other countries, focusing on Ebola. Dr. Glen Nowak, Chief, Division of Media Relations, was a former public relations and advertising professor at UGA, and he earned his doctorate at
The last stop at our visit to the CDC was a tour of DEOC. We were escorted up and down elevators and through security until we arrived at the start of our tour. Our tour included stopping at the JIC (joint information center) and ending in a large room filled with chairs, computers and televisions. The televisions in this room were all on a giant screen and called the standard information display. These screens give the people of the CDC a “snapshot of significance.” A few of the screens were used to monitor public health events like earthquakes and forest fires. The other screens were used to monitor other situations like global disease outbreaks.
Our time spent at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was very well spent and extremely informative. The opportunity to actually sit in CDC’s press room and tour their campus is once in a lifetime. After returning from our visit to CDC, everyone realized this trip would be one we would never forget.
By Lauren Fabian
Wednesday night we went to the Alumni Reception at the international law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge. Kathleen and Jeff Haidet hosted the reception, and we appreciate their willingness to let us spend the evening with them. We enjoyed decadent hors d’ourves and a breath-taking view of
Stephen Brown, senior vice president, media relations for Manning, Selvage & Lee, told us further about what a day in the life of a public relations agency is like. He stressed the importance of experience and finding enjoyment in what you do. His demeanor showed how passionate he was about the job he does and the industry he’s in.
Alison L. Carnes, edit operations supervisor for Turner Studios, drew us in with her contagious energy and gave us advice about entering the work world. It was interesting to hear advice from someone who works with television and works for such a large, successful corporation.
The other alumni were fun to talk with and eager to share their experiences with us as well. They offered advice for different types of professions in the public relations field. Aviva Hoffmann told us about her unexpected career path that went from being a real estate title searcher in
The alumni were interesting to talk to and offered their experiences to help us prepare for and better understand the world we’re about to enter. They gave us unique and personal looks into the different public relations professions as well as the professions that deal with public relations.
I realized that career paths are unpredictable and can be very exciting. I learned that it’s good to be open to new possibilities, and every possibility. I learned to find and pursue what I’m passionate about (even if it changes) with determination and an open mind.
…And the dessert display wasn’t half-bad either!
By Adam Takach
Today our group arrived at Georgia Tech. It is Memorial Day and it is very hot—it is one of those days that 
when you step outside you are immediately covered in a glaze of sweat. The campus is absolutely gorgeous, especially for being located in a major metropolitan area. We are all glad to finally lie down and relax after a long day on the bus and at the zoo.
The food here at cafeteria is surprisingly delicious; they offer a wide variety of different foods to appeal to everyone. Our group decides to eat as a family at one big table, and the bonding begins. The drought in 
t working.
Our group is staying in a residence hall, which was a great idea compared to staying in a hotel. It allows most of us to relive a lifestyle we hadn’t experienced for quite a few years. It really is the centerpiece for our bonding, with people coming and going out of rooms, sharing various items we had forgotten, and just being able to chill out with each other in the common areas. Georgia Tech is a beautiful campus that accommodates our group of characters to the utmost.
