This summer brought one of the worst storm systems in recent history to the Midwestern United States with the August 2020 Midwest derecho. Iowa and Illinois were hit particularly hard. With large storms comes lots of power outages. These storms happened in the last week of my internship with ComEd, who provide most of the electricity to the Northern Illinois Region. These storms resulted in the second largest total outages in the company’s history.
     With their internet channels being relatively new and having never seen the high-volume flow of customer concerns and questions, they were required to implement new methods to reach all customers on the fly. The outage map that customers are typically directed to for outage restoration estimates crashed. The IVR phone system crashed and customers calling were not able to speak to a customer service representative. The feature on the website to report an outage went down. The only way left for customers to contact the company ended up being through social media. This began a rapid training of employees and interns from other departments, to respond to public and private social media mentions and messages. All that was able to be communicated to the public by the company was that the universal restoration time would take six days. Having interned with the social media team previously, I was able to reference my past training and used it to help respond to as many people as possible who reached out with their concerns  escalated the tickets of those in high-risk and vulnerable situations. The social media team trained over 50 employees from other parts of the company to respond to messages on their social media platforms so they were able to help escalate customer issues and relay information pertaining to how the company was moving forward given the situation they were in.
     It was an eye opening experience for me to be able to work during such an unprecedented time for ComEd. It taught me a lot about what is necessary to stay calm, prepare yourself and lead others during a communication crisis.

By: Josh Pozniak

     In the early weeks of the 2020 spring semester, like many other students I thought I had a set plan for how my college experience was going to go. COVID-19 at that time was still in the beginning stages, and I never imagined it would impact us in the way it has. Once all  classes went online, and I was introduced to the new world of zoom, I found my once eager and motivated Freshman year self slowly slip away, and school had sadly felt like a low priority when it came to learning how to live through pandemic. 
       Amidst all the fast paced change, I had just applied and gotten the position of Secretary on the executive board for PRSSA. It was an impulsive decision, and although it seemed daunting at the time, being a part of the executive board for  PRSSA would be my one saving grace from making my new college experience feel completely hopeless. In normal circumstances, I thought that creating a successful college career was going to be scary and difficult, but trying to meet those same goals all while not being able to have in person social interaction with my professors and classmates seemed next to impossible. 
       At the beginning of this fall 2020 semester, I had a pessimistic view of how the rest of the year would go. In normal circumstances, I thought that navigating college was going to be difficult, but trying to meet those same goals all while not being able to have in person social interaction with my professors and classmates seemed next to impossible.  I felt like I was being robbed of crucial opportunities that would guide me toward a successful career in PR, and questioned many times if all the work I was putting forward was going to be worth it. 
        Being a sophomore, still trying to adjust to the PR major as well as a leadership position for a club revolving around PR came with more struggles than I would have liked. I’ll admit in the first few weeks of meetings for PRSSA I had a lot of doubt in myself and wondered if I was actually qualified for the position I had earned. But over these last four months and after I started to get to know everyone else on the executive board, it has completely changed how I view my future. PRSSA gave me back the motivation I thought I was losing and made me feel like my work had a purpose again. I am still very new to PRSSA, and still have a lot to learn, but this organization, in just a short amount of time, has allowed me to learn more than I could have ever imagined from just being in a classroom.  I know that the future is never guaranteed, and unexpected change is inevitable, but it’s much less scary now that PRSSA is a part of my life.

​By: Grace Huff

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     Growing up I had so many dreams to be so many things and when I came to college, I still had all those dreams. When it came to me choosing a major in college I didn’t know what major I wanted to commit to because everything interested me. When talking to my roommate about it she mentioned how much she loved the flexibility of being a communication major. 
     I didn’t take her comments about her major seriously until my sophomore year of college when I realized that I really needed to start to figure out what it was that I wanted to do with my life after college. I started to research different majors inside The School of Communication. That is when I found Public Relations, and fell in love with it. 
    While Public Relations is my major, I’ve noticed how much all the majors in The School of Communications are similar to each other. They all have their own unique quirks but they are all so similar at the same time. 
     Here are some of the things about being a communication major that appealed to me: 

1. It’s needed for all companies: The nice thing about communication is that without it a company will fail, which means that there are always going to be jobs in the communication realm. This was especially shown during this year with the global pandemic. Companies needed to be able to respond and show their support to their customers but they needed to do it in a responsible way. Without a communication team they would not be able to get their message out in a prompt and clear way. 
2. The job flexibility: Working in public relations, you have so many different options for jobs. You could do things like crisis communication all the way to event planning. This is such a great thing for people like me who have a hard time knowing what exactly it is that they want to do. With so many options if you aren’t happy with one, you’ll be able to find another job option that you will be happy with. 
3. The flexibility within the major: Most communication majors have some flexibility within the major to allow you to make it your own. The classes are fun but you also have the opportunity to add a minor if you have multiple different interests, or to take other classes that might be more out of your comfort zone. Doing this for me has really allowed me to find what I love to do and has given me a chance to be more creative. Following a strict plan of study might be good for some people, but I like to think communication majors are creative and having flexibility in what we do is a good thing for us. 

     I know being a communication major isn’t for everyone, but it has allowed me to reconnect with the creative kid within me. I am so thankful that I found The School of Communications at ISU. 

By: Sarah Johnson

     I have come to learn that the field of Public Relations (PR) is similar to theatre. Just like theatre, PR is all about knowing your audience, telling a story, daring to be creative, and knowing that the show must go on. I can attribute much of my personality and success throughout my time at ISU to my background in the performing arts. As I near the end of my undergraduate career, I am still finding ways that my nearly two decades of theatrical performing experience have equipped me with tools necessary to be a successful leader in the world of PR.
     At the start of the pandemic, I seized an opportunity to edit virtual and hybrid productions for a local Children's Theatre Company. Though I had little to no experience working as a video editor, I rose to the occasion and knew that the show must go on! Through this role, I have become an expert at using Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition, two softwares that I may use in my career in PR.
     Though the arts may be dark at the moment, there is still hope, and that is shown through the hard work of these children. People in all walks of life within the arts and entertainment industry are out of a job right now and need our help. Actors, crew, publicists and marketers and many more need emergency financial assistance. To donate to these workers during these difficult times, donate to The Actors Fund at www.actorsfund.org.

By: Alana Guggenheim 

When it comes to voting it may seem like one of the simplest acts to do because all you have to do is fill in a circle, however that is not the case. Voting has changed over the course of each decade from allowing colored people, to vote to allowing women to vote, to changing the age from 21 to 18 and things continue to change.
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The question now may be what makes me qualified to talk to you about voting? I have been an election judge since the primary election of 2016, and I have worked a total of eight elections. 

The general election of 2020 will be the first election that I do not work since I am away for college. Throughout these past four years, I have voted in every election. I have attended numerous trainings. I have worked every station that you see at your polling place. I have done voter check in, on-site voter registration, ballot distribution and the provisional table. 

The last election that I worked was on March 17, during those times the coronavirus was a huge concern. We wiped down every ballot box after it was used and every pen as well. Every voter entered their own ballet into the tabulator. Voting booths were six feet apart and when waiting in line voters were six apart as well. The pandemic is no excuse to not vote. We have held an election during a pandemic before and we can do it again. Just make sure you wear your mask to this one. 

Here are my tips and requests you should consider when going to vote. 
#1 Get there early. Polling places open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. in the state of Illinois.  
#2 Expect to wait in line. This may not always be the case but with the pandemic, the number of booths is limited along with space. My recommendation is to go as soon as the polls open 
#3 When checking in, please consider that over 90% of election judges are citizens that are now retired. Please be loud and clear when giving them your first and last name 
#4 Please follow all signs too allow voting to run smoothly within the polling place 
#5 Do not interrupt other voters in their ballot booths 
#6 Be kind to your election judges. We love it when you ask us how our day has been so far. 
#7 In the state of Illinois it is illegal to ask for an ID when checking in at your polling place. HOWEVER, if the election judge is having difficulty searching your name in the database, I recommend that you give them your ID. Unfortunately, names may be registered incorrectly or in a different format that the system does not recognize. By providing your ID, we can search up the correct name and allow you to vote. 
#8 My biggest tip of all is to take your time. You are not being timed, it is not a race, take all the time you need. 
#9 May be the most important one; it is illegal in the state of Illinois to talk about the individuals on your ballot when inside of your polling place. If you do so, you will be asked to stop. If you continue, you will be removed by the police and be arrested. You may bring information with you however it cannot be out in public, it cannot be on any clothing, on your head or on your face. You may search up candidates when at your voting booth and can search any other questions on your ballot. 
#10 Brag to your friends about voting. Because did you really go and vote if you did not post it on social media?  

We are currently living in times where we question if our vote matters and if our vote will be counted. As an eligible voter you have the right to do everything you can to be able to vote. You can register and vote on Election Day, all you will need is two forms of ID, one with your current address. If your polling place is giving you some difficulty, please call your Board of Elections office.

Happy and safe voting!

By: Yasmin Carrillo