UGA AdPR students gain valuable experiences in NYC Maymester

Students from AdPR 5170 take in the view at Central Park during their NYC visit.
(photo courtesy of Kandace Sweat)

Twenty-one AdPR students gained class credit and firsthand agency knowledge when they participated in a New York City Maymester class. The AdPR 5170 class, which took place from May 15 to June 6, gave students the opportunity to learn about the communications industry, develop case studies, and do a one-week tour of New York advertising agencies to meet and learn from professionals.

“It was truly one of the best [Maymester classes] I've been on in the entire twelve years I've been doing this,” said Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, a senior lecturer in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, and Maymester instructor. “It was an excellent mix of agencies, from large to small, godfather to boutique, and spanned so many relevant areas — from advertising, public relations, culture creation, the spurring of humanitarian movements. You name it, we did it.”

“The ADPR Maymester in NYC provided a unique opportunity to see firsthand the diverse landscape of agencies the city can offer,” said Bree Riley, a graduating senior majoring in advertising who took the course and blogged about the experience. “I had no idea that the skill set that I've gained at the Grady College could be lent to so many job descriptions.  We learned about everything from ‘solutionists’ to community managers to positions without official titles.”

Some of the agencies that the class got to visit include Grey Group, McCann-Erickson, Strawberry Frog, 360i, LaForce + Stevens, and Momentum, among others. In addition, students got to participate in UGA-related events, including a reception with the Peabody Award winners and a networking mixer with New York-based Grady alumni.

As advertising continues to evolve and expand with new technology and practices, students in the class said it was important to learn more about the industry.

“This type of exposure is not something most people get to experience,” wrote Alexandra Walker, another student who blogged about the trip. “I enjoyed getting to visit the vast group of agencies that we did. It opened my eyes to the wide variety of agencies out there.” 

Students visit with Taxi, a creative boutique agency,
(photo courtesy of Kandace Sweat)

 On one such visit, a student found career advice with Taxi’s executive creative director Dave Clemans, who told the students to chase new work opportunities. 


“Taxi was founded with the mantra, ‘Doubt the conventional. Create the exceptional,’ an agency slogan that truly embodies the mentality and creative process at the agency,” wrote Channing Jones, a sophomore advertising and marketing student who blogged about the Maymester class. “Mr. Clemans emphasized that if there is no doubt in the creative process—that the work is not yet extraordinary—then you’re doing something wrong and you haven’t yet figured out the solution and the right creative message.”

“This class was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” said Kandace Sweat, another AdPR student who took the course. “I just did not know the level of creativity and hard work of these agencies. It was quite inspiring.”

“It was an incredibly informative week,” said Dr. Strausbaugh-Hutchinson. “And I think the takeaway for the students was that there are a myriad of career paths that are open to them and that the New York market really is accessible to UGA grads.”

AdPR Alumni Spotlight: Caroline Hawkins

Caroline Hawkins graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations and a minor in art history. She currently resides in New York City.

What are you doing now and how did you get there? I am currently living in New York and working at LaForce + Stevens, a full-service marketing communications agency. Most of my life I knew that after graduating from college I wanted to be in New York. Things all seemed to fall into place my junior year when I was searching for summer internships. Networking with older friends, I heard about LaForce + Stevens and their competitive internship program and made the decision to go for it. Luckily, there were quite a few Grady grads already working at the company who I met during an interview for the internship. They gave me guidance and ended up pulling me in to work on their Consumer-Lifestyle team as a summer intern. I had an amazing experience and kept in touch with my team throughout my final year at UGA, landing a full time job with the same team immediately after graduation.

What is your day-to-day like at LaForce + Stevens? (Any interesting projects that you can share with us?) On the Consumer-Lifestyle team, we have quite an eclectic and fun group of clients. We work with brands in the fashion, wine and spirits and personal care industries, among so many others. Not only do we have work for our day to day clients, but we also get pulled in as the red carpet team for many exciting events. This being said, no day is ever the same and nor would I want it to be.

Although things are constantly changing, there are some daily staples that come with PR. Scanning the press to stay up-to-date on what is being said about our clients is key. We all media monitor daily to ensure we are on top of things. Additionally, we are continuously establishing relationships with producers, editors, bloggers, freelance writers-- you name it-- to let them know about all of the interesting things we have going on and to secure placements for our clients. Event planning, client meetings and internal brainstorm sessions are just a few of the other things that go on at our office. I would have to say the most fun parts of my job is seeing ideas we've thrown around come together as a full-blown campaign or event that we can all get behind from start to finish.

What part of your Grady experience (classes, professors, etc.) has been helpful in your career today? Looking back, Grady was helpful in so many different ways. The variety of courses we were required to take really set us up for success. While there were a few classes I may not have fully appreciated at the time (no name dropping here!), in retrospect it is clear that each and every course was there for a good reason and has benefited me in my own career in more ways than I can explain. The most important part of Grady is in my opinion the professors. While some of the courses we took are probably offered at other universities, the professors at Grady really wanted to see us succeed and to truly understand what we learning, not to just take a test, make and A and head on our way. That is something I will always appreciate.

What is your favorite Grady memory? One of my favorite Grady memories is going to Dr. Betty and Dr. Barry Jones' home with other Grady students for soup dinners. This is a great example of how amazing the faculty is and how much they made me feel appreciated, even at a school as large as UGA. I will always think about sitting around the Jones' kitchen table with my class chatting about life and graduation and UGA and how great our experiences at Grady had been.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students? The most important piece of advice I have to give is to network like crazy. I know we've all heard it before, but I would not be where I am today without some friends along the way. Make the most of the fact that you are an AdPR student at Grady College, one of the top schools of journalism in the country. Talk to alumni, older students, professors or really anyone you think may provide you with sound advice on your career path and life in general. Lastly, you are young and you should enjoy it. Take a path that really feeds your fire and don't be afraid to try something new and a little bit out of your comfort zone.