Bright Lights in the Big City

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“I miss everything about Chicago, except January and February.” - Gary Cole
Gary Cole would be unhappy to know that February in Chicago was amazing. This past week I was given the chance to go to Chicago for two days and tour public relations firms and businesses around the city. Ohio Northern PRSSA gives the club members a chance each spring semester to go on a firm trip. Firm trips are a short adventure to a new city to see how the public relations field really looks like. It is hard to really know what we are getting into when we are stuck in a very small town in very small Ada. The members of PRSSA somehow find a way to pack so much education and fun into 48 hours. That is why each year we all continue to attend. I want to share my experience on the first day in Chicago.
The first day started out at 5:45 a.m. I am not a morning person. All 19 of us had to pile into three different vans and drive the four hours to Chicago. This is always one of my favorite parts of the trip because being in a van with six girls for so many hours creates an unforgettable bond. We listened to the entire Hamilton musical soundtrack for the last two and a half hours and I feel as if I know history better now.
All my family is from Chicago, so the city feels like home to me. Our first stop was my favorite of all, the Chicago Cubs. I am a Cubs fan have been since I was little, when you live in tribe nation you don’t get to talk about the Cubs very often so this was amazing. Kevin Saghy, who started all of the Cubs social media, is an ONU alumni and no longer works for the Cubs but got us a contact there so we could visit and hear about their lives in sports pr. I was basically fangirling in this 25th-floor office overlooking Wrigley field. I took a picture with the world series trophy, no big deal. The rest of the day we spent going to Finn+Partners and Alzheimer's Association. I am not much of an agency person so Finn+Partners wasn’t my favorite but I loved Alzheimer’s Association. I love the idea of a non-profit and the ability to help educate others. I had such a good time learning about these different fields of public relations work.
Finally at the end of the day, we all got to explore the city a little and enjoy the night. My friends and I went to the Sugar Factory and enjoyed a giant goblet drink. The dry ice made it smoke and bubble like a cauldron and was filled with candy. I definitely had a sugar rush after that. Just getting the chance to venture around the city at night and see all of the beautiful lights made the night so amazing. Being in the city is such a different feeling than being in Ada and it makes me feel like I’m living out a mini-dream.



Comments

  1. Trevor McConnellFebruary 11, 2019 at 3:43 PM

    It must have been awesome to get to go to a city you are so closely related with. Along with being able to go behind the scenes of PR with the Cubs. Learning about so many different fields of public relations in one weekend is a great experience.

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  2. Kortney CottleFebruary 11, 2019 at 10:05 PM

    This sounds like a great trip! These experiences sound unique and interesting. I think I would like going "behind the scenes" with some major PR firms to learn more about what really goes on in them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Danielle FleshoodFebruary 12, 2019 at 2:21 AM

    I'm so jealous! I'm glad you had fun! I love Chicago so much I lived right outside of Chicago for four years so I love getting to visit when I have the chance. You guys had a lot of cool opportunities and it looks like you guys got a lot of helpful information and a great new experience!

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