Outside of working at Not An Echo Creative, I am a student studying Strategic PR and the president of a student organization, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Through PRSSA, I am given a lot of opportunities to learn. Most recently I had the opportunity to travel to Nashville, TN for an international PRSA conference called ICON.
Last year, I went to ICON in Dallas, TX. The information I learned at ICON 2022 was just as valuable as that at ICON 2023. However, I came out of ICON 2023 feeling beyond confident and ready to tackle every challenge. So many industry professionals poured into me and my peers by giving us true details of what their day-to-day life looks like and how they got there.
And because I care so much about our readers, I have compiled a list of motivational quotes from the amazing speakers I heard from. Take what you need and use it!
ICON 2023 Aphorisms:
“Be your favorite self every day.” - Amanda Brooks, Director of Communications at ESPN
“There will be lights at the end of the tunnel. It’s your choice if it’s sun or a train.” - Amanda Brooks, Director of Communications at ESPN
“I always did the job no one raised their hand for.” - Alex Ebanks, Vice President of Communications at Essence Ventures
“Don’t tell people your dreams, show them.” - Alex Ebanks, Essence Ventures
“Feedback is everything! Even if it’s negative!” - Brandon Lewis, Account Director at M Booth
“Stay hungry.” - Gina Laughlin, Vice President, Global Employee Communications at Delta Air Lines
“Don’t worry about today.” - Scott Pansky, Co-Founder, Social Impact Lead, Allison
“Sending resumes is like gambling.” - Scott Pansky, Co-Founder, Social Impact Lead, Allison
“Play nice in the Sandbox.” - Scott Pansky, Co-Founder, Social Impact Lead, Allison
If you want a copy of his book, Playing Together in the Sandbox, you can find it here.
“If you can bring it down to one sentence, you can tackle it.” - Michele Norris, Host & Executive Producer, Your Mama's Kitchen Podcast, Washington Post Opinion Columnist. Author, Our Hidden Conversations. Founding Director, The Race Card Project
“It’s important to create a space where people can be heard.” - Michele Norris, Host & Executive Producer, Your Mama's Kitchen Podcast, Washington Post Opinion Columnist. Author, Our Hidden Conversations. Founding Director, The Race Card Project
“Trust is the currency of relationships.” - Angela Dwyer, Head of Insights at Fullintel
“Learn how to say "no" to nice people.” - Jake Meth, Founder of Opinioned
“Be agile.” - Every speaker.
Every day, I feel so fortunate for the opportunities I have been graced with. My hope is to pour into whoever is reading this now that my cup is overfilling from those who have poured into me.
Your Designer,
BONUS: A photo diary from my trip!!!
This was the first night Wesley and I arrived. We went to a Sweet and Salty event where we got to share our highs and lows of this year with fellow PR students!
We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. This was IN the hotel. How insane?! There was even a little boat you could ride.
It took about 15 minutes to get from our rooms to the convention center- which was all inside and still in the same building. Highly recommend it for a great experience!
This was the second day of the conference. Here, I was channeling all of my girl boss energy. ✨
I got the chance to meet and hang out with some fellow Iowans. These students were from Iowa State University and The University of Iowa!
To wrap it all up, here is one of my favorite photos from the trip. I was in Nashville, so I of course had to see what Broadway Street was all about. I went out with my new bestie, Kaila, and my fellow classmate, Wesley! We had such a great time navigating the city.
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