By Ingrid Moreno
Barry's chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) hosted their first ever event, “Branding: for Sports and Business,” on Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. in the David Brinkley Studio.
This event was a branding seminar featuring many guest speakers who were professionals in marketing and branding for sports and business. Speakers included Director of Sales and Marketing at Allay Pharmaceuticals Nicole Jimenez, Real Estate Agent Jonathan Vega, and Barry Athletic Communications Specialist Hunter Dubois.
The speakers discussed how they began their careers and how they chose their market. As an added incentive, two $25 Amazon gift cards were given away to Instagram followers in attendance. The winner was randomly chosen through a name drawing system.
In Fall 2019, the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) welcomed Barry as their thirteenth student chapter--named “The Buccs”–becoming the first one in South Florida.
The association has 15 professional chapters and 14 student chapters, including schools such as Florida State University, University of Central Florida, and University of West Florida.
The membership provides students in advertising, public relations, and marketing programs with networking opportunities across Florida and hands-on learning experiences, such as internships and job preparation. Members also get access to an exclusive national certification exam to become a Certified Public Relations Counselor.
According to the FPRA’s official website, members come from diverse backgrounds as well as from private and public corporations, government entities, non-profit organizations, and counseling firms. All members share the common goal to enhance public relations across Florida through “ethical and standardized practices.”
The main priority of the FPRA and The Buccs is for members to increase their network across Florida and grow as individuals. Although being part of the club can be an advantage for advertising, public relations, and marketing students, it would also be a great opportunity for anyone to join in.
Jada Mohammed is a Barry public relations senior and president of the FPRA Club at Barry.
Due to the pandemic, this was The Buccs’ first event as well as its first year in person.
In the future, the club hopes to participate in charity events and social media campaigns on campus and beyond. Mohammed’s goal for next year is to raise enough funds to attend the FPRA conference. The club is also looking for new members, especially lowerclassmen who, as Mohammed pointed out, “maybe not thinking about their career yet, but should be moving towards that direction.”
Students interested in joining the club or learning more can join the event via Zoom. The link is provided on the club’s Instagram page, @PRBuccs.