Email Memo:
To: Dorothy Bland, Kim Keller, Larry Powell, Brittany McElroy, Caleb Reed
From: Alyssa Stevenson
Date: Nov. 5, 2024
Subject: Denton High School recruitment day details
UNT Mayborn faculty speaking at Denton High School:
Some of the UNT Mayborn faculty will be going to Denton High School on Friday, Dec. 6 to recruit students to study journalism at UNT. There will be 175 students consisting of sophomores, juniors, and seniors of Denton High School at this event. The majority of these students belong to a minority group, the highest being Hispanic, 51% of the student population is male, and 53% of students are considered at an economic disadvantage. Each Mayborn faculty speaking will need to prepare a five-minute speech about their specific majors and the benefits of their career field. Our goal is to encourage these students to study journalism at UNT.
Address and driving directions:
Denton High School is located at 3001 Bronco Way, Denton, TX 76207. From Sycamore Hall, head northeast on Chestnut Street, take a right onto Avenue C, continue onto Jagoe Street, then turn left onto Scripture Street. Take the first exit of the roundabout towards N Bonnie Brae Street, then turn left onto Bronco Way. Denton High School will be on your lefthand side, and you may pull into the parking lot.
Agenda
Time | Task |
|---|---|
10:00-10:05 | Principal Joel Hays delivers welcome message/ introduces UNT faculty |
10:06-10:11 | Dorothy Bland talks about print and digital journalism |
10:12-10:17 | Kim Keller talks about public relations |
10:18-10:23 | Larry Powell talks about advertising |
10:24-10:29 | Brittany McElroy talks about broadcast journalism |
10:30-10:34 | Caleb Reed talks about UNT, scholarships/ aid, and how to apply |
10:35-10:40 | Break time for students to get into small groups for professor Q&A |
10:40-11:00 | Small group Q&A |
Please prepare your speech and come ready to answer questions from students about your program, career field, and UNT.
Denton High School Recruitment Speech
Hello, Denton High School How are y’all today? My name is Kim Keller, and I am a public relations professor for the Mayborn School of Journalism at U-N-T.
I want everyone to take a moment and think about what they want to do when they graduate. (PAUSE) Do you want to make a lot of money? Do you want to have creative flexibility? Do you want to make a true difference in the world? With P-R, you can do all of this. We like to call public relations the bridge between organizations and people. We get to connect with others, build up brands, tell stories, and strike change in our field.
Now, you might be thinking, P-R and journalism, (PAUSE) what do those two things have in common? They are actually pretty similar in a lot of ways. In public relations, we work very closely with journalists on press releases, television specials, and more. So it is important to understand their line of work to build positive relationships. We also use a lot of journalistic skills like writing, photography, video and audio, and investigative work.
In P-R, we build upon these skills and take them to the next level. What does this mean exactly? Well, we help to create strategic plans for companies in terms of how their audience sees them. Let’s say you are Target, and your audience is young shoppers. You get to research who these people are and then create advertisements, social media content, events, and more for those shoppers in order to build trust with them.
Instead of being a fly on wall, (POINT TO WALL) observing from afar like in journalism, you get to be on the floor (POINT TO FLOOR) and a part of all the action.
One of my first jobs out of college was in medical media. I got to take pictures of medical procedures and create magazines, newsletters, and brochures. Every day was something new and exciting. Now, if you get queasy from missing eyeballs or open stomachs, this might not be the niche P-R field for you. (LAUGH) Not to worry, a job in P-R can look like a lot of different things.
In my 30 years in the field, I have worked with big brands like FedEx, I have been a teacher, I have been in the newsroom, I have helped nonprofits, and I have been my own boss. There are not a lot of other career fields where you get to say you have been all of those things, but that is just how diverse P-R actually is.
One of the best parts of being in P-R is that every organization knows they need it, which means that you can work with pretty much any company you want. Are you a big sports fan? Do you love fashion and makeup? Maybe you have a favorite celebrity or brand. Whatever your hobbies or interests are, you can bet that they have a P-R professional. And maybe one day, that P-R professional can be you!
Public relations is also known to be the highest paying job in journalism. Money is a big factor in what job we choose, so just imagine getting to work in a very diverse field and making more money that some of your friends. (LAUGHS)
At U-N-T, we make sure that you are prepared for all of the jobs you could take in the P-R field. You will take basic journalism courses like media writing, visual communications, and applied design that give you tools needed to succeed in any journalism field. You will also take public relations courses like P-R campaigns, strategic social media, and P-R for nonprofits.
These classes help you to become well-rounded and ready to take on any job in the P-R field. At U-N-T, we also help you to learn what you like doing when it comes to P-R. We offer many elective courses in interests like sports journalism, web design, and P-R for business. This can help you to find out what niche field you want to work in based on your interests and skills.
Does all of this sound interesting to you guys? You can learn more about specific courses for P-R at U-N-T by visiting the U-N-T website.
Thank y’all for letting me talk more about the world of P-R and studying at U-N-T. We would love to have you, and I hope to see some of you in my classes next year! (EXIT STAGE)
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