USU JCOM student wins PR student of the year competition

Hailey Brimhall, writer

Sariah Rees, a public relations student in Utah State University’s Journalism and Communication program and the Utah State University chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America President, was named the Utah PR Student of the Year at the 2022 Golden Spike Awards ceremony.

Public relations professionals and university students in Utah gathered at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Utah, on Nov. 17, 2022, to commemorate nominees and announce the winners of prestigious awards within the statewide public relations industry. Rees said she won a trophy, $1,000 cash prize and bragging rights.

 “I also got the opportunity to make connections,” she said. “I am now very familiar with some big people in the industry.”

For the competition, every participant was assigned to create a public relations campaign for the nonprofit NeighborWorks Salt Lake. Requirements for the campaign included background information, objectives, key messages, key audiences, strategies and tactics and a timeline. Also, a press release and cover letter were needed.

Five finalists presented their plans to a panel of judges. They also wrote a press release in a 30-minute timeframe, called a professional news reporter to pitch a story and handled a crisis situation.

Rees said her favorite part of the competition was the validations she received.

“While I was preparing my campaign plan, I realized how much I like doing this,” she said. “This is the major and career choice I want. It was invigorating and really fun to do it.”

In preparation for the competition, Rees was mentored by JCOM professors, Dr. Debra Monson and Steve Reiher. “[Monson] was able to help me fine-tune some of my things, brainstorm and answer a lot of my questions,” Rees said.

 Carter Ottley, a USU student and competition runner-up, said that the intro to PR and writing for public relations classes were super helpful.

 “I was able to look at the formatting and parts of previous public relations plans I wrote to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything in my initial application,” he said.

 Ottley said the key piece of advice he would give to people who are interested in competing is to be confident and just do it, even if you are nervous about it.

 “There is so much value that can come out of being a part of the competition,” Ottley said. “I now have a PR plan that can be used in a portfolio. I also learned so much by actually pitching a plan and talking to a real journalist. They were lessons I couldn’t learn in a classroom setting.”

 Rees said that even though the competition takes time, it is the best practice you can get.

 “If I can do it and win, anyone can do it,” she said.