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University of South Florida School of Mass Communications Alumni Magazine V1 I1
Citation preview
University of soUth florida school of Mass coMMUnications alUMni Magazine
Bullhornthe fall 2012
letter from theDirector by Dr. Fred Pearce
AnDy nguyen goes hollywooDby Emily Givens the evolution ofsociAl meDiAby Cristin Cotton
bump. set. spike.by Lissette Colón
2
5
12
18
prssA mAkes some noiseby Atecia Robinson
DeAnne roberts remembereDby Lindsey Voltoline
Alumni upDAte
24
30
33
contents
2 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
DirectorDr. Fred Pearce
eDitor-in-chiefNicholas Trobiano '12
photo eDitorFaith Willis '12
contributing eDitorsCourtney Difonzo '12 Sarah Drewes '12 Kari Fuhrmann '12
Molly Fullam '12 Julianne Goins '12Chole Lykes '12 Valerie Quintana '12 Atecia Robinson '12
Diedra Rodriguez '13 Rachel Sacco '12Jean Telcy '12
contributing writersEmily Givens '12 Cristin Cotton '12 Lissette Colón '12
Atecia Robinson '12 Lindsey Voltoline '13
contributing photogrAphersCover Photo: April Stratemeyer '13
Faith Willis '12 Dan Phuong Nguyen Vinh PhusUSF/Pool
fAcultyDesign: Prof. Kevin Hawley Copy: Dr. Rick Wilber
Bullhornthe
This publication was written, designed and produced by Journalism students in the USF School of Mass Communications.
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 3
Dr. Fred Pearce
DIRECTOR
LETTER FROm ThE DIRECTOR
Welcome home. And welcome to the Bullhorn.
I’m sure that as an alum of the School of Mass
Communications at the University of South
Florida, you’ve wondered: what’s going on there
now? Or is Dr. Smith still teaching? Or whatever
happened to (insert name of lost colleague here)?
Well, we’ve heard you and we’re proud to intro-
duce you to the first edition of the USF School of
Mass Communications electronic magazine. And
we hope that you’ll both like it and pass it along
to fellow alums.
Produced by students and faculty of your alma
mater, the Bullhorn will bring you news of what’s
going on; features on students, faculty, and
alumni; and a section on “Class Notes.”
This e-zine is designed to serve a number of im-
portant functions: to communicate with you and
to help increase the networking opportunities
among our alumni; to help us track your careers
– which is important in maintaining our ACEJMC
national accreditation; and to help our reporting
and magazine production students get their work
published.
I hope that you like this first edition. Our plan is
to publish the electronic version of our magazine
three times a year (Spring, Fall, and Winter) and
to publish a four-color annual magazine during
the summer.
Please enjoy. Please give us feedback. And
please circulate.
Best wishes,
4 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
AnDy nguyEngOEs hOLLywOOD
Alumni
The 2012 Sundance
Film Festival in Janu-
ary brought one of
USF’s own to the
spotlight. Andy
Nguyen, a telecom-
munications USF
alum, recently won the Playboy Short Series
Bombay Sapphire Imaginative Filmmakers
Alumni
usf Alum’s Journey to A
nAtionAl film AwArD
By EMIly GIvENS
6 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
Spotlight Award for his Columbia University
thesis film, “Boomerang.” This award was a
golden ticket to having a film slot in the most
prestigious independent film festival in the
world, Sundance.
At age 10, Andy traveled to vietnam to ex-
perience his family’s cultural heritage and
spend time with his filmmaking uncles, Tring
Hoan and vinh Son. Hoan, one of the leading
cinematographers in Southeast Asia, shot the
highly acclaimed films “Song of the South”
and “The White Silk Dress.” He started a film
studio named “HK FIlM,” named after him-
self and his wife. Son has been a film director
in vietnam since reunification. He is one of
the most respected directors in the industry
and now teaches at the film school in Ho Chi
Minh City.
Andy was immediately fascinated by their
films and asked to be an extra. However, as
soon as they started shooting a serious scene,
uncontrollable giggles would slip from Andy
in the background. After several takes like this,
they starting giving him alternative tasks be-
hind the scenes. He watched as the team put
together the film piece by piece and realized
this was exactly what he wanted to do.
The first real chance with a camera was at his
aunt’s wedding in his early teenage years.
He commented that several family members
were annoyed as he made them repeat ac-
tions so he could get multiple angles for his
“movie.” This experience helped push him to-
ward doing narrative pieces and telling stories
through film.
In high school, Andy and his brother started
making clay films “since no one wanted to be
in our movies.” They did several small projects
working with clay animation. As time pro-
gressed, Andy decided he wanted to go to film
school since he did not see a career at Pixar,
so at age 16 he flew to vietnam to make his
first real film. His uncles helped provide him
equipment and produce “A Silent Night,” a
film that aired and won an award at the Heart-
land Film Festival in Indianapolis.
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 7
“They (Heartland Film Festival coordinators)
required me to be there, so they flew me out
and picked me up in a limo. I went everywhere
in a limo. Dakota Fanning had the whole floor
above me. They had a tuxedo with my exact
measurements on my door waiting for me to
wear it. I didn’t even know these things were
possible,” Andy said. “The night I arrived, I
was sitting outside of a theater and saw Dako-
ta Fanning. So I called her over and was going
to give her these comp tickets to come see my
movie. She took the tickets and autographed
them and gave them back to me without look-
ing at them. So, I asked to take my picture
with her just to prove my ridiculous story with
Dakota Fanning.”
Although he did very well with his film, he did
not initially make it into film school. So, he trans-
ferred to USF to study telecommunications.
“As a filmmaker, it strengthens you to know
the different aspects of filming,” Andy said.
He explained how Kristin Arnold, a telecom-
munications professor, taught him how to
craft the technical structure of the media he
makes, along with giving him experience
Alumni
“USF de-veloped me into a storyteller.”
Photo by Dan Phuong Nguyen
8 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
Behind-the-scenes footage from the making of Andy Nguyen’s series, “Forever in Hiatus.” The three-part series centers around the story of a short-lived fame of a pop star, who has left behind his former fame to pedal a xich-lo (pedi-cab) on the streets of Saigon.
Photo by vinh Phus
and self-confidence.
“you don’t realize when you first meet him but he is such a funny kid,” Arnold raved.
He also approached one of his professors, Rick Wilber, to be his mentor.
“He came to my office with a DvD and I thought ‘Great, here we go’ but then I watched his film
and went ‘Oh my, he really IS a filmmaker.’ Then I ran down the hall and made the rest of the
faculty watch it," Wilber said. "When he graduated he asked me to write a recommendation for
film school. I’ve only written 5 or 6 recommendations since the 1970s that I felt so outrageously
strong about. I practically threatened those schools to let him in. later, I was watching the
Sundance Film Festival and was not at all surprised to see him standing next to Robert Redford
(founder of the Sundance Film Festival) on screen.”
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 9
Along with practical knowledge, USF provided
support and vision. “USF developed me into a
storyteller,” Andy said.
After graduating from USF, he decided to ap-
ply to film schools in los Angeles and New
york for graduate school. After much delib-
eration about several acceptance letters, he
chose Columbia University. For several years
now he has been making films and furthering
his career in film production while working
toward his master’s.
His senior thesis film project, “Boomerang,”
a short film highlighting the inner struggle a
man has during a breakup with his girlfriend,
is his most recent success. His goal was to
satisfy academic requirements and, instead,
he ended up winning the Playboy Short Series
Bombay Sapphire Imaginative Filmmakers
Spotlight Contest, as well as $3,500.
“I received an email asking about the details
and qualifications of my movie. Then I was
asked to go on Skype to further discuss the
requirements of my film, which I thought was
strange,” Andy said. “Did they think I was a
robot? I didn’t understand I’d won at the time.
Then suddenly they were telling me, ‘Con-
gratulations! We’re flying you to Sundance to
accept the award and show your movie!’”
He did not know what to expect in Park
City, Utah, home of the Sundance Film
Festival. He hoped he would be put in the
corner of the room so he could watch and
not feel so out of place in the large ball-
room of dressed up professionals. Instead,
he was at a table seated with his brother, a
mysterious man, another mystery woman,
and the host, Anthony Mackie.
The table talked to each other and did not
take notice of these younger boys sitting with
them. Finally Andy found the courage to ask,
“Who are you?” He was surprised to find him-
self sitting with the CEO and COO of Playboy.
He was stunned; he looked around and won-
dered, “Who else am I sitting with?” All these
dressed up people around him looked like
they could be his neighbors. later he found a
Alumni
10 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
seating chart and could not believe the influ-
ential film leaders he had been sitting with.
He explained he learned a valuable career les-
son, for his industry and all others. “you never
know who the scrub sitting next to you is, or
how they can surprise you.” Andy said. Now, he
wants to learn to throw himself into the mix and
be the one to put out the first hand.
Andy’s goal is to graduate from film school
and direct feature films. “It takes so much
trust for someone to hand you their script and
money to direct a film, any film.”
The average person might never guess that
his short 20-minute film project for class cost
about $20,000 to make. Andy and other film
students find ways of funding their projects,
through donations and contests. Some take
extreme measures, but film school is their
chance to make an impression to break into
the industry.
He is currently writing a feature film, “Forever
in Hiatus” and hopes to find funding for it in
the near future.
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 11
DR. KELLI BuRns AnD ThE EvOLuTIOn OF
sOCIAL mEDIA
BY crisTin coTTon
fAculty
t’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Captain
NatGas, here to save the day! The
Captain landed at the University of
South Florida at the end of the 2012
spring semester in hopes of trans-
forming all energy resources into
natural gas. The superhero's first
stop, according to his Facebook account, was
Dr. Kelli Burns’ public relations writing class.
In case of an emergency, he can be reached
via Twitter @CaptainNatGas.
Captain NatGas is one of many superheroes
who has stopped by Burns’ classroom. The
superhero was a product of a classroom
project where the students created social
media campaigns for a number of social-
issue “superheroes”.
Burns, social media scholar and associ-
ate professor of mass communications at
USF, hands out similar social media projects
among all her courses. When asked how big
a role social media has within her curriculum
during a recent interview, she responded with
an enthusiastic, “Huge.”
“Specifically with the creation of the so-
cial media campaign project, I wanted my
students to see how contemporary issues
filter through social media. For instance,
how is the story being narrated through so-
cial media? Did the story first break within
a social media?”
Burns has been teaching PR for a total of
eleven years and with each class she has
added either an internet or social media ele-
ment. Burns received her Ph.D. in mass com-
munications from the University of Florida,
her master’s degree in mass communication
from Middle Tennessee State University and
her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and
business from vanderbilt University. This
year marks her sixth year as a USF public
relations professor. BY crisTin coTTon
i FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 13
The use of multimedia has increased exponentially and continues to be on a steady
rise. Users employ these websites to not only com-municate with friends and family, but also to share
information, pictures, news stories, business connec-tions, opinions, etc. Most young people use these websites as their main
source for breaking and in-ternational news.
“I majored in math and business because one, my school didn’t
have marketing, and two, I saw the potential in acquiring the
analytical skills one learns from having a business degree.”
It wasn’t until Burns was in the middle of receiving her mas-
ter’s degree that she started to acquire a desire to teach.
“A graduate program is very different from a bachelor’s,” she
said. “you are much more exposed to the life behind aca-
demia. I developed personal relationships with my professors.
I started to reflect on what I really wanted to do, plus I was a
good graduate student. I started to think ‘Well, maybe I’ll get
into a Mass Communication Ph.D. program’ and I did.”
It was during her two years of doctoral work at the Univer-
sity of Florida that Internet advertising started to erupt on the
scene.
“Everyone was writing about it. Everyone was researching it.
Internet advertising was the trend. In fact, my dissertation cov-
ered online advertising,” she said.
Burns remembers when computers screens were made of
nothing but a black background with white letters.
“My first experience with computers was when I was getting
my master’s degree. My computer didn’t have a mouse,” she
fAculty
14 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
recalled. “I had to push control F to get the
cursor to move up the page.”
“I even remember registering for classes by
phone,” she reminisced. “Way back in the
Dark Ages.”
The tall, enthusiastic PR professor with boun-
cy shoulder-length blond hair did anything
just then but age herself when one considers
that Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare are all
still relatively new and in good, well, let’s be
honest - spectacular condition. I will also point
out that there is no return-to-sender in sight.
With restaurants, as well as clothing and ap-
parel stores, all having their own Facebook
accounts, it is no big surprise that social me-
dia has gained a presence when it comes to
coverage of world news. News organizations
now have their own Facebook and Twitter
sites. Even more so, the common bystander is
the one breaking a story.
That is what happened with the death of
Osama Bin laden. A man in Pakistan, Sohaib
Athar, inadvertently tweeted everything that
he was experiencing; consequently, social me-
dia’s role was transformed in the process.
Back in May of 2011, two days after Osama
Bin laden’s death, Burns joined Fox 13’s
“Good Day Tampa Bay” to talk about the phe-
nomenal transformation of social media in
news coverage.
“It is a very small world and news is travel-
ing faster than ever before,” Burns said on the
morning program. “The death of Bin laden hit
America’s news channels on Sunday evening.
let us say that someone was asleep at the
time and woke up and watched the news and
said, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to tweet this,’ every-
one would say, ‘We already know.’”
Facebook launched in 2005, four years af-
ter 9/11. Who knows how different that time
would have been if America was as connected
then as we are now.
“My first semester teaching was 2001, the
year the twin towers were hit,” said Burns.
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 15
“I had a 9:30 class that day and by then one
plane had already hit the towers. Kids weren’t
as connected as they are now so a lot of my
students didn’t know what was going on. I
did have one student monitoring events from
a computer and he told us when the second
tower fell."
“During the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, I
looked up some of my students I had at the
time on Facebook. I found three male students
and I asked them what they remembered
about that day. Each said, ‘Well, I remember
being in your class when the towers fell.’”
Both crisis situations, 9/11 and the death of Bin
laden, stand as examples of why the social
media projects that Burns assigns are crucial
in preparing her students for the real world,
professionally, socially and also politically.
“There is a social media side to everything
fAculty
16 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
now,” she said. “Every story now has a social
media element, either how the story broke
on social media or how a story filters through
social media.”
She continued, “I was reading the Tampa Bay
Times the other day and one headline read,
“Social Media and Religion”. The article was
about the role of social media within religion
and how churches are using Facebook and Twit-
ter to reach their congregations.” She paused,
and added, “you have to have social media
literacy now. you just have to.”
And as for Captain NatGas - it’s up, up and
away as Prof. Burns’ class won second place
at the Collegiate Energy Challenge in Wash-
ington, D.C. in May. The team actually finished
second to Auburn University graduate stu-
dents, but the jury awarded all three top teams
(including the University of Texas at Arlington)
first-place prize money.
USF may have been underdogs at the compe-
tition this year, but with results such as this,
USF public relations students are going to be
on everybody’s radar - including employers'.
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 17
By lissette colón
stuDents
BumP. sET. sPIKE.
By LIssETTE COLÓn
Andrea Caro-
lina Rodriguez
Gomez, a mass
communica-
tions student
and volleyball
player at the
University of
South Florida,
is a time man-
agement maven, but she wasn’t always good
at spending her time wisely.
Rodriguez Gomez moved from venezuela to
the United States when she was 10 years old.
Her childhood in venezuela was stable until
her family was forced to leave under President
Chávez’ rule.
When Rodriguez Gomez arrived in the U.S.,
she didn’t speak English and had to learn
everyday words using pictures and memoriza-
tion, while her classmates had standard as-
signments.
She felt alienated and frustrated because she
couldn’t talk with the other children, so it was
difficult to make friends. However, she fondly
recalls excelling at sports during recess, so
the other children fought over having her on
their teams.
Because she struggled to learn English, Ro-
driguez Gomez also struggled throughout
middle school and high school. This effected
her confidence so she felt academics were not
a priority and she focused on her strengths.
volleyball became her passion and during her
senior year she contacted 50-to-75 schools,
hoping for a spot on one of their teams.
Coaches from USF attended a game to watch
her play. When the game ended, Rodriguez
Gomez extended her hand to greet them,
but the coach hugged her instead. She felt
welcome and knew USF was going to be her
home.
Rodriguez Gomez began her studies at USF
during the summer of 2010. It is mandatory for
new athletes to start early. This helps them to
start working out to progressively get in shape
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 19
and mentally prepared for the season.
“I had this preconceived notion that college
was a breeze,” Rodriguez Gomez said. “It was
so difficult. I had no idea that things would be
so hard. When the fall session came along,
I took six classes and I was in season. So I
needed a tutor for every class.”
During the middle of her first semester, Rodri-
guez Gomez was on academic probation with
grades ranging from D’s to F’s.
“I was really scared because my coach
didn’t know what to do with me,” Rodriguez
Gomez said. “She asked me what my time
management plan was and I didn’t go by
one. I had no plan.”
Her coaches suggested a few tools they used
and Rodriguez Gomez tried them all. At first,
she found that using an iCal was not helping
ANDREA RODRIGUEz GOMEz IS PROUD TO CAll USF HOME.
stuDents
20 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
RODRIGUEz GOMEz HAS BUIlT lONG-lASTING FRIENDSHIPS WITH HER TEAMMATES.
her stay on task and that she needed to visual-
ize her day-to-day tasks. She eventually found
that she needed both an electronic and hard
copy that displayed every detail of her week.
“They had me put all my grades online in a
spreadsheet, use a Google calendar, and a
planner to enter in my schedule,” Rodriguez
Gomez said.
Rodriguez Gomez had to manage six classes,
which equaled 18 credit hours per week. She
spent 30 minutes each week with six tutors
and spent more than five hours on homework.
volleyball strength training and practice took
up at least nine-and-a-half more hours.
While on academic probation, Rodriguez
Gomez was prohibited from attending practice.
Athletes at USF are required to have an extra
hour of study hall for every C they earn. They
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 21
must also miss an hour of practice for any
grade lower than a C. Rodriguez Gomez had
a D and an F, so she lost two hours of prac-
tice. Sometimes her grades were so poor, she
couldn’t attend practice at all.
But, Rodriguez Gomez was still more con-
cerned with the team than she was with
academics.
“My coaches approached me and tried to get
through to me,” Rodriguez Gomez said. “I real-
ized that everybody on my team cared about
all these things. I wanted to care about them,
too. Once I started to do the right things,
everybody was happy. Then, I would forget
something again and my team would get fed
up. So, when I started making changes, it was
more for them, not for me.”
Rodriguez Gomez managed to completely
turn things around and brought her grades up
to A’s and B’s.
“I was so forgetful, but that’s not how I am any-
more,” Rodriguez Gomez said. “That’s how I was.”
She is not ashamed to tell her story because
she feels she has grown out of that.
Today, Rodriguez Gomez completes her
Google calendar and paperback agenda at the
start of each semester. She fills each timeslot
with class lecture topics, meetings, practices,
tests, homework assignments and training.
She factors in every detail.
Rodriguez Gomez admits she is now paranoid
about managing her time. Since she has both
a digital and hard copy of her responsibilities,
she has no excuse to not get things done.
Since playing volleyball at USF, Rodriguez Go-
mez has learned that being a student isn’t all
fun and games; it is a responsibility.
“I’ve learned that the school’s name, as far
as volleyball goes, is in my hands because I
have control of whether we are going to win
or not,” Rodriguez Gomez said. “I know it’s a
team sport, but I take it upon myself because I
know if I do my best we are going to do better.
Everyone feels like that, I’m sure.”
stuDents
22 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
Rodriguez Gomez explains that playing vol-
leyball is strategic and college athletics is a
business. Her experiences at USF helped her
realize if she doesn’t play her best, she could
lose her scholarship, her coach could lose her
job, and USF volleyball could lose funding.
“That’s why I always try to do my best,” Rodri-
guez Gomez said. “That way I don’t ever feel
like there’s something else I could’ve done. I
try to live by this every day so I feel like there
is nothing more I could have given today. If
something does happen, I know that I gave it
my all, so I have no regrets.”
Not only has Rodriguez Gomez changed her
outlook on school, but she has also changed
her outlook on life. She credits her time as a
USF athlete with making her care more about
her future. The time between her freshman
and sophomore years was a time of personal
growth.
Now Rodriguez Gomez is motivated to be suc-
cessful for herself. She has learned from her
own experiences, as well as from listening to
speakers who were once athletes but, due to
injury, had to find new careers. That encour-
aged Rodriguez Gomez to focus her energy on
school as a way to find new possibilities for
her future, rather than solely depending on
volleyball.
“Now I focus on doing really well in my classes
so I can do well in life,” Rodriguez Gomez said.
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 23
PrssA mAkes some noise
clubs
DBy ATECIA ROBInsOn
D espite the
economy, many
University of
South Florida stu-
dents in PRSSA,
the Public Relations Student Society of Ameri-
ca, feel confident about being prepared for life
after graduation.
Murewa Olubela, PRSSA’s vice president, and
Sasha Cameron, PRSSA’s president, say the
School of Mass Communications’ curriculum
and faculty are not the only thing that is pre-
paring them. Olubela and Cameron joined
PRSSA last year and have taken on active
roles in the USF chapter started by professor
emeritus Walter E. Griscti, a mass communica-
tions professor who was also the president of
the Tampa Bay PRSA (Public Relations Society
of America) chapter in 1977.
“I wanted to learn more about public relations
outside of the classroom. The best way was to
get involved. I learned networking; you meet
so many people in the community. PRSSA is
a part of PRSA. We have had so many guest
speakers who often talk to us and we can call
for advice. Many people have gotten intern-
ships from that alone,” said Cameron.
Since its inception, the 44-year old student so-
ciety has cultivated meaningful relationships
between public relations students and public
relations practitioners. Aside from the ability
to network with professionals and peers, and
the leg-up on internships it provides, being
involved in USF’s Walter E. Griscti chapter al-
lows students to: participate in conferences all
over the country, build a portfolio of writing
samples in the PRSSA newsletter and online,
attend social events each month, and volun-
teer in the community.
“Through these types of experiences, stu-
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 25
PRSSA MEMBERS HIT THE ROAD
dents are able find out exactly what area
they want to work with. They can say okay,
I want to stay in this lane. From there they
can find out what the professional does in
their daily work routine. Then they can find
out when the company may accept interns,”
said Olubela.
Of the many opportunities for involvement
and experience offered by PRSSA, students
find attending conferences and talking face-
to-face with guest speakers most important.
Olubela says it helped her find her niche in
public relations, which ranges from special-
ties in tourism, food, sports, and crisis com-
munications just to name a few.
Olubela transferred from the University of
Ibadan in Nigeria, where she majored in
linguistics, to the University of South Florida
in the spring of 2011, where she double ma-
jors in creative writing and public relations.
26 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
PRSSA STUDENTS NETWORK WITH PUBlIC RElATIONS COMPANIES, SUCH AS THE NIElSEN COMPANy AND HIll+KNOWlTON, TO lEARN ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES
Olubela was introduced to public relations when a friend in the UK mentioned how it would
allow her to further exercise her interests in writing, marketing and working with others on a
daily basis. Olubela talked to her department advisor, Katye Tuttle, who directed her to attend a
PRSSA meeting.
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 27
clubsOlubela decided to run for vice-president
after attending the Florida Student Summit
on Global Business, which was held at USF,
where she met Amy Rettig, vice-president of pub-
lic affairs at The Nielsen Company. “We got to
talking about public relations, and it was at that
point I realized how I really missed connecting
people together, especially in ways that would
help them reach their goals,” said Olubela.
Through Olubela’s connection with Rettig, 20
PRSSA students were invited on a company
tour of Nielsen’s local headquarters in Oldsmar.
Currently, there are more than 100 members
in PRSSA (active and non-active). Cam-
eron and Olubela say they hope to see the
chapter continue to grow long after they
have graduated, and they’re making steps
to make sure they instill changes that will
strengthen the chapter.
“We’ve gotten more in contact with our parent
chapter. We’ve had a lot more guest speak-
ers and events this year than we have in the
previous years. We’re constantly improving
each year,” said Cameron. “The organization is
an extension and supplement to our courses.
We try to give a lot of insight through bringing
in guest speakers and agencies. We have done
résumé workshops and worked on elevator
speeches to help students promote them-
selves to potential employers.”
In an effort to heighten the motivation of its
public relations students, PRSSA has invited
half-a-dozen professionals to speak to stu-
dents involved in the pre-professional soci-
ety, during the 2011-2012 school years. This
includes Glenn Selig, the strategist-in-chief at
“The Publicity Agency.” Mr. Selig was a very
special guest for PRSSA. He was named one
of the best in the public relations business by
Fox News Channel. During a meeting in early
March, he discussed how social media, SEO,
RSS, electronic press releases and other new
technologies transform the business. Camer-
on said it inspired other students to learn that
he built PRNewsChannel, an online and social
media public relations distribution service.
Michelle Foley, Manager of Community Rela-
tions and Public Affairs at Moffitt Cancer Center;
Amy Rettig, Director of Communications and
Client Relations at The Nielsen Company; lisa
Brock, owner of Brock Communications; Daneen
28 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
Whatley, a counselor at USF Career Center;
and Terry Dowling from the USF Career Center
where among the other favorites. Cameron said
she loved hearing Foley and Brock talk about
their work schedules and what to expect from
different areas in the public relations field.
Because PRSSA gives public relations stu-
dents the knowledge to be top competitors
in their field, they prefer the title "pre-pro-
fessional student society" rather than “club”
due to the highly professional standards to
which they adhere.
“We’re making that distinction. As a pre-pro-
fessional society we are expected to always
be professional. Our students are expected to
wear business attire to meetings and events
with guest speakers,” says Olubela. “And it’s
not only for majors; anyone interested in
learning to become a PR professional can
join.”
CHElSEA ROADMAN, PROFESSOR HAWlEy AND SASHA CAMERON AT THE FINAl PRSSA FAll MEETING
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 29
On January 12, 2012, the University of
South Florida’s School of Mass Commu-
nications lost a friend after her four-year
battle with cervical cancer. An influential
leader in the community, a businesswom-
an, a mentor and mother, Deanne Roberts
lived an inspiring life. Born in Tampa, Rob-
erts graduated from USF with a bachelor’s
degree in mass communications and in
1970, at age 25, she founded her own pub-
Alumni
DeAnne robertsremembereD
By lINDSEy vOlTOlINE
30 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
lic relations firm: Deanne Roberts & Associ-
ates, which later became ChappellRoberts.
“Roberts was a very impressive person. She
was a single mom and she started her own
business when there was discrimination
against women within public relations, in par-
ticular,” said Edward Friedlander, USF profes-
sor and friend of sixteen years.
ChappellRoberts was built on the strong foun-
dations, values and core beliefs by which
Roberts lived her life, according to the firm’s
website. It is a company that has been and
will continue to offer internships as well as to
be an employer for USF students.
“She made it clear that they would take interns
even if it was inconvenient at the time,” said
Friedlander.
Roberts was a chairperson of the Tampa
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 31
Chamber of Commerce; co-founded Creative
Tampa Bay, a catalyst for economic and social
development that promotes principles of the
creative economy and supporting creative in-
dustries; and established Emerge Tampa Bay,
a leadership program designed for promising
young professionals aged 21 to 35.
She also won many awards. In 1992, she re-
ceived USF’s School of Mass Communications
Distinguished Alumni Award which is given
annually to recognize graduates of the school
who have excelled and made significant con-
tributions in their field. In 2008, she received
the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation’s life-
time Achievement Award, Silver Medal which
is given based on contributions to the com-
munity, creative ability, contributions to the
advancement of advertising and the better-
ment of one’s own company.
later, she won two leadership awards. In
2009, she received the leadership Tampa
Alumni Parke Wright III Award which is pre-
sented annually to a member of leadership
Tampa Alumni who has demonstrated ex-
ceptional leadership and made a significant
difference in the Tampa Bay community. The
following year she won the leadership Florida
Distinguished Member Award that recognizes
a leadership Florida graduate whose contin-
ued leadership activities have exemplified the
highest standards of leadership Florida, and
whose activities achieved results or set an
example of statewide influence.
“What struck me most about her was that she
was not a hard person,” said Friedlander. “She
was very relaxed, very low key, very pleasant
and yet, was still running a company.”
Deanne Roberts was passionately dedicated
to serving her community and her legacy
lives on. She noticed the lack of scholarships
offered to public relations’ students so she
set up an endowment fund for them with the
Deanne Dewey Roberts Scholarship.
“She could always be counted on to say posi-
tive things about USF,” said Friedlander. “She
was just very impressive from her first day to
her last.”
Roberts’ complete biography can be found on
ChappellRoberts' website.
Alumni
Alumni upDAte
32 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
CHRISTA CONNEll—ClASS OF 2009 ” I did two intern-ships in Minneapolis for Delta Sky Magazine and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine shortly before mov-ing to Toronto. Although I am still looking for full-time work, I am currently freelancing for Ca-nadian living Magazine online. I have also started freelanc-ing for Au Feminin, a women’s online magazine based out of Paris. They are launching their Canadian version, So Feminine, in Toronto in May and I am working on helping them build content for the site. “
• JOHN MOTTA—ClASS OF 1975 “I have worked as a professional reporter/Journalist/Travel Columnist for over 30 years. I am for-tunate enough to have won three New york State Press Association Awards (in the areas of Hard News and Sports Reporting). Founded, own and operate Pulsar Communications Inc. (since 1986) here on long Island (Ny). Pulsar Communication is an award winning electron-ic publishing firm specializing in projects for long Island municipalities and medical cen-ters.”
• lORIE BRIGGS—ClASS OF 1988 “I worked for two non-profits (United Way of Tampa Bay, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay) over the 18 years following graduation, with one 18-month stint in for-profits. I now work at USF and have the best job on campus: marketing and com-munications for the College of Business. I’ve been here for five years. I returned to USF’s Mass Comm classrooms to start the master’s program in 2010. I aim to finish next spring.”
• SETH lISS—ClASS OF 1990 “I am currently
the Online Managing Editor at WAMU 88.5, the NPR member station in Washington D.C.”
• JIM TOMlIN—ClASS OF 1990 Copy editor, sports department, Tampa Bay Times.
• WES PlATT—ClASS OF 1992 “USF played a direct role in landing an internship with the St. Petersburg (now Tampa Bay) Times and subse-quent job as a cops and courts reporter with that paper. I stayed at the Times for more than a decade. I left journalism (temporarily) to become a computer game designer. Now I’m back in the journalism game in North Carolina, working as news editor and senior reporter at the Hender-son Daily Dispatch.”
• DEBORAH O’NEIl—ClASS OF 1996 Editor, FIU Magazine, Associate Director, News & Communications Florida International Univer-sity, Miami, Fl.
• MARNIE lEvy WIllIAMS—ClASS OF 1997 Manager, Social Media Marketing, The Weather Channel, Atlanta, GA.
AuAlumni upDAte
pure gold
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 33
• MElANIE FORMENTIN—ClASS OF 2006 "I am currently working on my Ph.D. in mass commu-nications at Penn State University. My research interests are primarily in corporate social respon-sibility and crisis communication in sports. Pri-or to pursuing my doctoral degree, I spent two years working with the Tampa Bay lightning and two years simultaneously working at the USF Hu-manities Institute and teaching for the School of Mass Communications.
• lAUREN MEHl—ClASS OF 2006 “I have been working in education, national service (Ameri-Corps), and non-profits. I am currently the As-sistant Program Manager of Northwest youth Services, a transitional housing program for homeless youth.”
• AllISON TIBERIA—ClASS OF 2007 “I spent a little more than two years as a copy editor in the sports department at the now-Tampa Bay Times
after working my internship there in summer 2006, and now I’m closing in on four years as a copy editor and page designer for tbt*.
• ASHlEy SMITH—ClASS OF 2008 “I’m an asso-ciate account executive with MWW Group, which is one of the Top 10 independent public relations agencies in New york, Ny. I handle the day-to-day account activities for my three clients - Subaru of America, zumba Fitness and Discovery Bay Games.”
• AMANDA NUlPH—ClASS OF 2007 New Media and Marketing Intern/Assistant at Fueled By Ra-men Records/Warner Music Group (2006-2008), Copy Editor at Source Interlink Media for Circle Track and Stock Car Racing Magazines (2008), SEO Web Content and Online Marketing Writer (2008-2011), Entertainment Blogger (2010-present), SEO Web Content Editor/Manager (2011-present).
• CRySTAl BURNEy—ClASS OF 2008 “Public Relations Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida. As the PR Manager, I am responsible for community, media and govern-ment outreach that will create awareness of the mission, programs and community impact.”
• KAylA MOSlEy—ClASS OF 2009 Public Rela-tions graduate. Current City: New york, New york Current Role: Interactive and Digital Marketing - l’Oreal - Redken Fifth Avenue & Pureology.
• WIllIAM AlBRITTON—ClASS OF 2009 Teacher, Hillsborough County, Chamberlain High School, adviser for yearbook, newspaper, Tv morning show; drama sponsor 2003-2009. Online content producer/videographer/multimedia studio engi-neer/copy editor, The Fresno Bee.
• RIANNA K. lEE SING—ClASS OF 2009 “Com-munications Officer at lonsdale Saatchi and Saa-
TERRANCE “TERRy” P. ROBERTS—ClASS OF 1997 Self-employed: law Office of Terry P. Roberts (appellate attorney).
Alumni
34 The Bullhorn FAll 2012
tchi Advertising ltd. in Trinidad and Tobago. I undertake the planning, development and de-livery of internal and external communications for clients of the agency and its divisions, in-cluding events, websites, newsletters and oth-er communications and publications.”
• TANyA AlBERT—ClASS OF 2009 “I have been working as a writer at an internet market-ing firm in Tampa (Socius Marketing, Inc.) since May of 2010. “
• CARMEl DElSHAD—ClASS OF 2010 Com-munity Manager of documentary project 18 days in Egypt.
• REBECCA CRUz—ClASS OF 2010 “I am cur-rently in the last year of the Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education program at USF. I hope to teach for many years as well as continue my education.”
• SARAH GARCIA—ClASS OF 2010 Currently I work as a writer for a Social Media Marketing startup here in Tampa called BallywhoSocial. We manage and write social media and blogs for various clients including major hospitals and healthcare companies.
• CAITlIN WIllIAMS—ClASS OF 2010 Content Media Producer with Raycom Media’s corpo-rate 24/7 news hub.
• KATIE NElSON—ClASS OF 2011 “I began working at The Early learning Coalition of Pas-co and Hernando Counties, Inc. in July 2011 as a Communications Specialist. It’s a non-profit organization.”
• TRAvIS ANTHONy—ClASS OF 2011 Day-side News Photographer for Channel 12 WRDW in Augusta, GA.
• lAUREN lAFFER—ClASS OF 2011 “I’m cur-rently working with a blog called CountryMu-sicIslove.com, which is run by my friend lau-ren. I’m writing and editing different posts, as well as interviewing artists. We’re working on making the blog a business and get it to make some revenue.“
• KENDRA l. CUMMINGS—ClASS OF 2011 ”I am currently a Communications Specialist at vistra Communications, a public relations and management consulting firm in Tampa. We of-fer a wide range of services to both our non-profit and government clients.”
• vAlERIE SCHEIN—ClASS OF 2011 BA in Mass Communications (PR focus) & BA in Psychol-ogy. “Account Coordinator for RFB Communi-cations (a media relations firm in Hyde Park); and my current job as Creative Development Executive at CrowdSavings.com (a daily deal site in 14 US markets). I manage social media for 8 national markets, write five commercial scripts each week, write between six and 20 daily deals each day, design logos and photo edit for deals and commercials.”
FAll 2012 The Bullhorn 35
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