In the cutthroat world of professional communication and public relations, only the toughest survive. College of Communication senior Ashley Cheng is a survivor.
Cheng recently received news of her acceptance into the professional realm of public relations when she became the 2006 recipient of the Daniel J. Edelman/PRSSA Award, which will give her a three-month internship and $2,000.
Cheng stood out of a national pool of 35 applicants, after submitting 10 writing samples, two letters of recommendation and endure a series of phone interviews before learning of the good news, Edelman spokeswoman Laura Kestin said.
“Ashley’s résumé impressed us from the very first moment we opened her binder,” she said. “She’s a front runner in performing so many different aspects of PR inside and out. On the phone interview, she seemed to not only understand Edelman as a company, but PR and the culture around it.”
Cheng said she will be moving to New York after graduation to work at the consumer practice office of Edelman, one of the nation’s largest PR firms. She said she hopes this opportunity will enable her to have a head start out of college, especially through learning in a real work environment.
“One of my tentative clients is Dove, which won the consumer launch campaign of the year,” she said. “It would be really exciting to be a part of a campaign that has been recognized nationally. This is how you learn how to do good PR, from the best in the field.”
The award has been in existence since 1990, created to “find the best and brightest PR candidates out there,” Kestin said, adding that the students as well as the company benefit from this experience.
“It gives us such hope that there’s so much promise out there for PR candidates,” she said. “It gives a person the opportunity to showcase to us their talents, and it’s the best way to get one’s foot in the door.”
As president of the BU chapter of the Public Relations Students Society of America, Cheng has had PR experience integrated into almost every aspect of her life as an undergraduate.
“Everything I’ve done since I started at BU has somehow been public relations related,” she said, “even working with admissions, because that’s PR for the university, and it has all gone toward something in my career.”
PRSSA faculty advisor Stephen Quigley, who has known Cheng for all four of her years at BU, said her leadership skills and “extraordinary” ethics are what helped her win the award.
“The purpose of PRSSA is to really try to embody the highest principles of PR,” he said. “Part of the reason I’m pleased with Ashley’s selection is because that’s what she does without really trying. It’s her natural abilities and strengths that enable her to succeed.”
Kestin said Edelman’s connection with the PRSSA is essential to maintain and insure the success of future PR professionals.
“We value that PRSSA as a really appropriate link for finding candidates to work for our association,” she said. “They give advice about breaking into the PR field, and it’s a good lifeline to finding a great intern candidate.”
This kind of sponsored award is important for PR students to have something to show for their work, Cheng said.
“I think one of the big issues with PR is that a lot of what we do isn’t really measurable,” she said. “We don’t have an ad or a TV program to present, and things are a little less tangible. To have this award to recognize what we do is important, to award students who are looking to go into this field ethically.”