Member Monday- Kellian Reed

Do you ever wonder who runs the Campus Recreation Twitter handle? Illinois State University’s PRSSA member Kellian Reed gives us an inside look on her marketing assistant internship with Campus Recreation. 

Tell us about yourself.

I transferred to ISU after my freshman year at a small liberal arts college close to home in Chicago. I heard about ISU from its nationally recognized PRSSA Chapter, which attracted me to the School of Communication. I am a public relations major because I am a bold, creative thinker and I love helping others. I am outspoken, talkative, a blind optimist at times and I am not afraid of teamwork. I look for a lesson in every new opportunity, and from building upon my experiences thus far, I have grown a love for connecting with people and working in a fast-paced environment. I was born and raised in Chicago, so I have an appreciation for diversity; I love being around people of different backgrounds, skill sets and talents. I believe diversity is a chance to learn and grow, which led me to the endless opportunity field of public relations.

Tell us about your marketing assistant internship with Campus Recreation.

As a marketing assistant, I can admit no two days are alike. It’s kind of funny because a lot of people don’t understand what public relations majors “do,” so my boss tosses everything my way. I work between 10 to15 hours a week. My primary job is managing the Twitter handle for Campus Recreation. The last week of every month I am responsible for compiling the tweets for the upcoming month. I spend the week studying current trends amongst the world of fitness. I do not have a background in fitness so this initially was very difficult. I look for healthy tips, health awareness days/months, inspirational quotes, along with any upcoming events to promote. I plug them into HootSuite then the rest of the month I work on any projects in the office.

I also attend weekly meetings with the facility managers from all departments where I take notes on upcoming events or promotions. As an assistant, I am responsible for the contact information for everyone in the office, sport clubs managers, intramural, adventure, etc. I help prepare press releases from new programs and events, where I often meet with different mangers to pull quotes. 

For the past couple months, I have had the opportunity to work on the new Campus Recreation program guide, which will be more of a magazine. I have interviewed over a dozen students from sport clubs, employment, group fitness and intramurals. I compile the questions, interview, transcribe, and then write a feature story. My manger then decides what will run in the issue or not. I have a lot of fun meeting new people on campus, but I definitely had to learn to step outside my comfort and put my classroom knowledge to work.

What do you like most about interning with Campus Recreation?

Aside from the marketing assistant position, I had the opportunity to intern with the hockey sport club. I absolutely loved it! I became familiar with Greek life, registered student organizations and the local community by handing out tickets to games, looking for sponsorship and hosting theme nights. I have to say from interning at Campus Recreation, I have learned to love meeting new people and stepping outside my comfort zone. I never saw recreation or sports in my career path, and now I see it as a whole world full of possibilities. You meet so many people and when you get to see out an event or how a fundraiser plays out, the smiles and energy from the crowd shows the change you helped be a part of. It is priceless! Then the party is over, and it is onto the next stressful project. I love it; it is an endless cycle in a good way.

How has PRSSA helped you in your internship?

PRSSA taught me that you are never too late or too early to take a stab at the public relations world. Seeing the executive board take such an active role on campus is inspiring. I also see so many of my peers and people in my major do so many great things. I am so motivated to do more than just be another public relations student. PRSSA encourages you to step outside the classroom and become a professional. The opportunities for professional development are those that you cannot get anywhere else on campus.

What are some of your career aspirations?

I am currently going where the tide takes me. I am on the agency life kick right now because it is most similar to what I do at Campus Recreation. I would love to work on an account for any big company within an agency. I always have the big picture in mind, but I also pay attention to the details in the little things. I could also see myself going into the sports field, either basketball or hockey. Sports public relations is fast-paced and forever-changing; I think it would be a good fit.


Questions composed by Julie Florence 

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