On September 25, 2025, a meeting was held at Bishop State Community College. The Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA) is a community of non-profits. The meeting is open to all students, including those attending Spring Hill College. The invitation to the meeting was emailed to local college students interested in pursuing a career in communications. The meeting helps offer students important perspectives on mentorship and networking among current and future professionals. For students, it was an opportunity to hear directly from professionals on how to succeed after graduation. The panel of speakers included Sara Jones, the Chief Operating Officer of Good Giant. Jared England, the Chief Operating Officer of Hummingbird Ideas. Courtney Steele, the Director and Public Relations Officer at Bishop State Community College. Denise Curtis, the Director of Communications at Mobile Chamber. The PRCA invited students from all over the Mobile area. Each speaker shared insights about careers and the importance of relationships in PR.
Sara Jones, talked about the value of leadership and perseverance when working in the field of Public Relations. Jones reflected on her early experiences, like the launch of a clothing brand for Victoria’s Secret as an intern back in 2003. She explained how these opportunities helped shape her career path. Jones has received honors such as the American Advertising Federation Medal (AAF Silver Medal). She also received the American Advertising Federation Strengthen Leadership award, but told students that true success comes from building relationships with others. Jones described herself as “not from Mobile, but it feels like everyone knows each other.”
Speaker Courtney Steele expressed the importance of flexibility and reflection when it came to working in the communications field. She shared how losing campaign data early in her career made her reflect on how she should have taken more time to document her work. Steele encourages students to learn from challenges and to grow from them. Steele also explained how AI platforms such as ChatGPT have played a major role in communication and said, “The ability to write and speak your mind is something ChatGPT can never do.” She said, “Journalists need flexibility and need to stay calm when unexpected situations pop up.” Her comment helped stress the importance of creativity, while using critical thinking skills instead of relying on AI platforms to do the work for you.
England encouraged students to explore multiple fields before committing to one career path. He explained how he originally wanted to pursue a career in science until he found out that he had a passion for advertising. England showed how “Leadership is about how you present yourself.” But he continues to say, “The first step to take in order to become a leader is to participate.” “When you have a class where you need five people to write a journal entry, but one of those people is absent or sick, then you need to step up and take over. By doing this, it not only makes you look confident in what you are doing but also makes you look like others can count on you if needed.”
Denise Curtis, the Director of Communications at Mobile Chamber, spoke about resilience and learning from challenges. She recalled covering a story in Panama City about autistic children swimming with dolphins. She explained that while she was trying to professionally cover the story, her camera shots were poorly taken. While she could have given up at that moment, instead, she went back to Panama City to reshoot the entire story, reminding students that preparation and resilience are crucial. She encourages students to take chances even if they may seem uncomfortable. She also stated, “If you want to better your skills in PR, simple tasks such as recording your church’s local fish fry .” Together, all speakers sent a clear message that the field of Public Relations rewards those who can continue to learn, stay adaptable, and take the initiative.
The PRCA meeting at Bishop State Community College showed students how professionals navigate challenges, continue learning, and grow within their careers. Jones reminds us of the importance of networking, while Steele reminds us of the importance of flexibility. England stresses the importance of leadership, while Curtis focuses on the importance of resilience. The event even offers valuable insight for students across different colleges in Mobile, including Spring Hill College. The PRCA speakers help give advice to students who attend various colleges that are around the Mobile area in hopes of preparing them for future careers that deal with public relations, journalism, and communication. Many of the PRCA speakers hope to inspire students to take the advice given to help them improve and become better within both their skills and future careers. To stay updated with what is going on, do not make sure to follow @PRCA_MobileAL on Instagram to learn more. The next meeting will be located at the Goodwill Gulf Coast on November 20, 2025, at 11:30 am.
