The Continued Adventures of Our UO Graduates

I e-mailed my J452 alumni and asked those who had graduated (or who had one distance class left) to provide updates about their adventures after UO. Some have also included highlights from the paths that led them to their jobs.

Sonya Christensen is a production assistant at Henry V Events in North Portland. She is enjoying her new job and is thrilled to get to collaborate with her co-workers. She commented, “Every day is a different moment and that is what I really like.”

Beth Evans has been interested in arts management, public relations and related fields since the age of 17. She interned for six organizations throughout college and was active in the University of Oregon’s international community, as well as the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Beth has been a gallery assistant at T Space in Beijing’s 798 Art Zone since the end of June. Her tasks include editing English-language external communications materials and serving as the primary point of contact for English-speaking stakeholders. Her blog, Beijing Duck, documents her experience, specifically related to public relations and art in China.

Sarah Essary majored in public relations and minored in business administration. Simultaneously, she supplemented her education with the Public Relations Student Society of America and Allen Hall Public Relations. These organizations gave her the tools to land a summer internship during her junior year with Edelman Worldwide in Seattle. She resides in Seattle and interns at Frause, a public relations firm that prides itself on ethical behavior. The founder, Bob Frause, actually helped write the PRSA Code of Ethics, which makes her proud to be part of such an outstanding firm. Sarah continues to contribute to her blog, Consuming PR.

During this past school year, Heidi Gill interned at the March of Dimes Southern Oregon Division as their special events intern. Along with the community director, she helped raise $112,000. This summer, Heidi began interning at Sacred Heart Medical Center as a communication liaison. She helped plan and implement all special events surrounding the hospital move, while helping develop communication processes and tools used during the move. She just recently moved to Portland and began interning at Frause, a full-spectrum communication firm in Portland. Heidi is excited to be a part of this team and this great city.

A sports PR junkie, Aaron Grossman had internships at Nike, OregonLive.com and KEZI-TV 9, as well as a three-year stay at the UO Athletic Media Services Department while graduating with a major in public relations and minors in business, communications and economics. After an internship stretch with Columbia Sportswear upon graduation, Aaron started a season-long internship this month in the Sports Communications Department of the Portland Trail Blazers. Now he only hopes his future with the Trail Blazers is as promising as the upstart basketball team.

Chris Hammond graduated from the University of Oregon with majors in public relations and political science. At the UO, he was involved in both PRSSA and AHPR. Following his graduation, he landed a job that he trusts will provide him with a challenging, worthwhile experience. He is a communication coordinator for Conservation Services Group, which is a non-profit that helps groups make smarter energy use part of the way they live.

Kelli Matthews also wrote a blog post last June about “Ducks on the Move.” Click here to read it.

If I missed you in this update, please send me an e-mail, and I will update this post. In my next post, I will feature students who are on the job market. If you are a PR UO graduate looking for a job, you can e-mail me a brief description about you and the job you seek.

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