By Jacqueline Malott
Editor’s Note: Malott, a public relations graduate student, recently attended PRSA Hoosier Chapter’s Half Day with a Pro. The event pairs PRSSA students from around Indiana with PR professionals. According to PRSA, this offers students a chance to enhance their understanding of public relations while building meaningful connections with Indiana’s leading PR professionals. Malott reflects on her experience here.
Being a new member of PRSSA, I was very nervous and anxious to already be jumping into shadowing someone I had never met and going to a company I had not heard of. I received an email from a PRSA member letting me know that I was going to be shadowing the public relations leader at JX Enterprises – an all-service truck transportation company that also sells new and used trucks, parts, truck rentals, as well as graphic services. I had an amazing time. As soon as I walked into the building, my pro, Chelsea Chapman, was ready for me. I could not have asked for a better person to shadow. She was patient, had a set list of things she wanted to cover about JX, introduced me to many of her coworkers, and was very down-to-earth, which made my anxiety vanish.
I was able to learn about the different experiences Chelsea had gone through during her journey into public relations and how she came to be working at JX Enterprises. Learning about her experiences as a young woman professional gave me insight to what I could possibly face in the future and how to handle some of those situations. I was also able to meet with different managers and leaders at JX who gave me amazing advice that focused on “knowing and understanding people” as well as being able to listen to those people whether they are your coworkers or your customers. It was refreshing to hear from someone in a high-level position who takes the time to understand and genuinely appreciate their employees. It was great to see what made the company so unique to the industry. The lessons I learned from Chelsea and her peers will help further develop my leadership skills as a young professional. I will be going back to JX Enterprises soon to continue learning from Chelsea. I am grateful to PRSSA for providing me with the opportunity to do a half day with a pro!