Isabel Toa
USU PR Graduate Shares Her Journey from College to Career Success
By Gabi Carter
Isabel Toa, a 2019 graduate of Utah State University’s JCOM program, may be in the early stages of her career, but she’s already gained a wealth of experience and enjoyed her communications journey through higher education, faith-based organizations and the business world.
Toa's journey into the world of public relations began during her time at USU, where she realized her passion lay in PR and made the choice to pursue the major.
"I loved marketing and strategy, as well as the connections that came with PR. I enjoyed how it required me to communicate with so many people," she says.
In college, she gained real-life experience through jobs with USU Huntsman Business School and the USU PR department, where she managed the school’s social media accounts and supported the team’s large-scale communication strategies and plans.
“I love doing social media. Some people don't enjoy it that much, but I really do love it," she says.
After graduating, Toa continued to build her skills working at internships. Her post-graduation internships included working for Overstock.com and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where she worked in the magazine department digitizing its magazine. This internship also involved running the digital newsroom and editing and creating content for various social media accounts.
Toa started her first full-time job at FranklinCovey during the height of Covid-19, where she worked as an editor. At FranklinCovey, she was able to refine her writing skills and work on a team of highly skilled creatives.
Her career took a significant turn when she joined the PR team at doTERRA International in early 2022.
"We deal with a lot of standard PR tasks," Toa explains. Her responsibilities include writing press releases, contributing content to the company blog, running LinkedIn accounts for various C-suite executives, organizing news briefs and working with media outlets including ABC 4 and Utah Business.
She also pitches doTERRA’s products to bloggers, and monitors the company's reputation on the LinkedIn, Glassdoor and Indeed platforms.
Toa's journey taught her valuable lessons that she shares with aspiring PR professionals.
"Get as much real-life experience as possible, Toa says. “I got to the point where they [USU academic advisers] told me I wasn't allowed to get any more credit from external jobs, and I don't regret any of them. It gave me such a wide range of experience.”
She emphasizes the importance of pursuing one's passion and not putting pressure on oneself to be a "go-getter" at every single opportunity. It's important to get paid for the work you do and be confident in your skills and qualifications.
As Toa continues to excel in her career, she remains dedicated to her passion for PR and encourages others to pursue their interests with determination and confidence. With her diverse range of experiences and encouraging insights, she serves as an inspiration to aspiring PR professionals at USU.