Marissa Reale is a Communications Specialist at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. She studied strategic communications and graduated from Temple University in 2018.
Reale joined PRSSA in the fall of 2015 because of the opportunities it offered to network with other peers, professors, and professionals. Reale was also interested in the mentorship program which would allow her to further connect with senior students and learn more about the industry. She was later inspired to become a leader in PRSSA herself to help plan opportunities for other students.
During her time in PRSSA, Reale held the positions of secretary (2016-2017), and vice president (2017-2018). She was also a member of PRowl Public Relations and became assistant firm director (AFD) for the 2017-2018 academic year.
As a leader in PRSSA and PRowl, Reale supported both organizations and executive boards with strategy, planning, and execution for their yearly goals. She also took part in planning student networking events that featured national and local PR leaders as guest speakers.
Some of Reale’s favorite PRSSA events were the mentorship game nights and partnerships with non-profit organizations. Her favorite memory was from her senior year when PRSSA and PROWL’s eboard members attended the national conference in Boston. The most valuable thing Reale gained from PRSSA was the ability to start ahead in developing her professional network as a student.
Reale’s experiences at Temple and within PRSSA and PROWL have not only made a significant impact on her career, but also continue to encourage her today. From the start, she fell in love with Temple’s hardworking and determined community of students. PRSSA and PRowl then helped launch her career and brought many valuable opportunities such as internships and her first job after graduating.
Reale explained that this year especially has brought many learning experiences for the PR field. She shared, “I think it’s shown us that every strategy and plan must be meaningful, relevant, and resonate on deeper levels than ever before.”
Finally, Reale’s advice for current students is to “ 1) take every opportunity to network purposefully 2) show up for opportunities that take you outside of your comfort zone [and] 3) always follow up with media, jobs or anything else because it could be the difference between making something happen or not.”
This blog post was written by Irene Bak, Digital Committee Member.
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