The Steps I Took to Become a JCOM Aggie

Sheppard Sonntag, writer

 

The class of 2023 included Sheppard Sonntag, who graduated from Utah State University with degrees in international studies, journalism and Portuguese. He grew up overseas, Washington, D.C., and his last two years of secondary education at Salem Hills High School in Utah County. After high school, he lived in New York City and Brazil to add to his eclectic life.

Here is his story: When I was five, my dad was assigned to deploy overseas as a diplomat for the U.S.Department of State. This started a trajectory in my life that has and will continue to define my future pursuits. My family was assigned to live in Azerbaijan two years, Uzbekistan and Estonia three years, where I attended international schools in each country.

My experience studying and living overseas, navigating new cultures and unfamiliar ways of life for my most formative years, broadened my world-view and made an innate part of me the desire and ability to build relations with people from different backgrounds, ways of life and perspectives. After living overseas for seven years, my family moved to Washington, D.C., area and then to Utah where I finished my last two years of high school. Naturally, in high school, I wanted to build ways to bring students together, and as vice president of assemblies, I organized assemblies and other activities.

This experience first exposed me to USU and planted the seed for my schooling in Logan. My student council attended a USU Leadership Conference and the campus

immediately felt familiar and welcoming, despite having spent most of my life on the other side of the world. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would return as a university student. After graduating from Salem Hills High School, I served a religious and humanitarian mission in Vitória, Brazil, two years. My time spent in Brazil, immersing myself in the language and culture further cemented my desire and ability to build common ground and understanding with people from all over the world. Once I returned, I began my education at USU.

Two people largely inspired my desire to pursue an education in foreign affairs and public relations. First, while we were living in Estonia, one of my dad’s friends and a fellow diplomat was Billy. In my naive and childlike mind at the time, I remembered him as a “rad” Californian surfer with tattoos and hilarious stories, which is exactly what he was, but he was also a public relations professional for the U.S. Embassy. He somehow naturally got along with everyone with his easygoing manner, but I particularly looked up to him because he interacted with me as he would any other adult and shared his views, advice and life experiences.

While living in Virginia, I met our neighbor, Ryan Koch, who had a similar impact on me. I babysat his three kids at the time. He also worked for the U.S. Department of State, and like Billy, he was also a public relations professional. Like Billy, Koch took an interest in my life and demonstrated how true public relations professional assimilates those skills into their everyday interactions to build positive relationships.Fast forward six years, Koch offered me an internship, working for him in New York City.

I moved to New York in September 2021. What an incredible and life-changing experience. I was an intern for the Public and International Affairs New York Office for the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for which Koch was the director. He gave the office interns a long leash and offered us opportunities well beyond our primary

duties. Ultimately, I planned and executed events for over 60 Third Country Permanent Representatives to the United Nations and Consuls General. I also developed and supported public relations and humanitarian initiatives with global outreach. It was this internship that cemented my growing desire to pursue a career as a public relations professional.

When I became an Aggie, I decided to attend the Aggie Blue Leadership Conference. The facilitators at the Aggie Blue Leadership Conference encouraged me to get involved with the various clubs offered by the university. One club that I chose to participate in was the Utah State University Student Association (USUSA) Traditions Committee from 2019 to 2021. While on the USUSA Traditions Committee, I organized many monumental activities at USU including the Weeks of Welcome and High Stakes Bingo. Being a part of this committee sparked my interest in event planning.

After coming back from my public relations internship in New York City, I had numerous conversations with students and professors about the Public Relations Student

Society of America (PRSSA) Chapter. I ran in the PRSSA elections and became the social media manager and public relations director. The design of the social media post itself and the timing of when it was posted were key lessons that I learned to help target specificaudiences.

I just recently graduated from Utah State University with a dual major in International Studies and Journalism and a minor in Portuguese. I am a Public Information

Specialist Intern for the Cache County School District. At this job, I interview teachers and staff for articles, I write articles, I create and post social media content, and soon I will be helping with changing the school district website. I have learned, in the short time that I have been working this job, how to write an article that targets my specific audience, which is parents, and what questions I should use to get meaningful information for my articles. My job would have been harder if I did not take the Public Relations Writing class. I learned a lot in that class about how to organize words and phrases to display a clear message. Another class that I took that helps me with my job is Multimedia Bootcamp. This was one of the hardest classes that I took at Utah State, but it taught me the rule of thirds, how to conduct interviews, and how to use certain software like Audacity and Photoshop which I use on my job. I am grateful for my time at Utah State University.

These experiences living overseas, learning new languages, and immersing myself in new cultures, changed and molded me into a person who thrives on and naturally builds

relations with people of different perspectives and backgrounds. These building blocks defined who I am and were cemented together in my New York internship, which without question has led me to pursue a public relations career after graduation.