Belle Kim | Oct. 18, 2011
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| Photo by Nick Demille |
| New York Times' Susan Keller talks with IDS columnist Matthew Glowicki about his portfolio. She and alumna Emily Shirden visited Friday as guests of the Experts Workshop. |
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Emily Shirden, BAJ’03, senior account supervisor at Ruder Finn Public Relations in Chicago, and Susan Keller, BA’74, assistant news editor a the Washington, D.C., bureau of the New York Times, talked with students, critiquing work and offering some career advice during the fall semester Experts Workshop.
Begun two years ago, the workshops bring alumni to campus for these personal sessions. The professionals vary in media expertise each semester; last spring, professional from magazine and broadcast specialties visited.
Students sign up for the slots and submit portfolios of their work and their resumes in advance to maximize the 20-minute sessions spent with the professionals.
Junior Mary Kenney, managing editor of the Indiana Daily Student, said she enjoyed meeting with Keller.
“I’m planning on applying to the New York Times for an internship next summer, so it was great to talk to someone who’s involved in the hiring process,” Kenney said.
She said Keller helped dispel some myths about internships.
“She told me I should submit news, not just feature stories, which is great because that’s primarily the kind of writing that I do,” Kenney said. “She told me that the IDS is a good paper. I know what I want to supply now.”
She said the experience will help her writing, as well.
“Getting to talk to her one-on-one was really helpful,” Kenney said. “She had a lot of suggestions.”
Senior Christina Boehmer met with Shirden to learn more about what it’s like to work in public relations. She hopes to work at a Chicago firm after graduation.
“I asked her what she liked the least about working in PR, and still found myself completely interested. It was encouraging,” Boehmer said. “I gained some good insights into the field.”
Boehmer said she felt comfortable speaking with Shirden.
“She was a student here, so it was easy to connect with her, and she could tell me what I should do now to make it easier for me to do what I want,” Boehmer said.
Shirden said she was happy to share her experiences with the students.
“I met a lot of really smart students who are all really excited about PR,” she said. “It was fun getting to see what students are doing now in classes and getting to see what changed.”
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| Photo by Nick Demille |
| Emily Shirden, senior account supervisor at Ruder Finn Public Relations in Chicago, talks with Christine Spasoff about her portfolio. Shirden said she was impressed by the students' work. |
“They’re doing so much, with all the things they’re doing in classes and on campus, writing PR releases for companies in town and working in internships,” Shirden said.
Keller said she had a positive experience as well.
“They’re so eager,” she said. “I feel like I can make a lot of difference in eight hours here, doing this, than I can in eight weeks back in my office.”
For example, she gave students suggestions on how to effectively use details and quotes in their stories.
“It’s really exciting seeing a lot of terrific stories,” she said. “I was managing editor of the IDS when I went to school, so it especially thrills me to work with people who write for the paper.”
Overall, like Shirden, Keller was impressed by the caliber of student work.
“I’m not sure I could compete,” she said with a laugh.
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