One of the things I am going to try to do each week is feature a student who has truly made me proud both in and out of the classroom, and continues to succeed in their workplace and position.
This feature will represent someone who makes coffee tired and is one of the hardest working individuals in the field of social media and PR. This student is one I mention to other classes as an exemplar for creative, strategic, and innovative ideas and is able to handle multiple tasks and projects at any given time. This student is one of my former IMC students from WVU, Whitney Drake.
From the first moment I saw work from Whitney in class, I knew I was looking at a student who truly not only got PR, but was going to be someone who will help shape the future directions in the field when it came to emerging media. Whitney always went beyond the call for each task and perspective – always adding in elements, resources, perspectives, and suggestions for others to look at for PR – not just 110%, but more like 200%. She set a certain standard for not only the class, but also for me to see what students are able to do, which impressed me a lot.
As far as Whitney’s work ethic, I am convinced that Whitney is Super Woman – she has been doing it all and with huge levels of success! She is currently working on her Master’s Degree with the IMC Graduate Online Program for West Virginia University while working for the digital team at General Motors. When I talk to my students about having a good work ethic for their classes, internships, and work experience – I tell them about Whitney and what she has been able to do and what worked for her.
As an extra bonus this summer, I got a chance to see Whitney in her element at GM while I was there during my Plank Center Fellowship. Seeing Whitney in meetings, discussing key strategies and measurement protocols, and interacting with her fellow colleagues was very impressive. I was blown away with the fact Whitney was doing all of this work plus taking two online classes at the same time (one class is full-time), and was getting ready to prep to teach a social and digital media class with her boss Rebecca this fall at Wayne State University.
I was absolutely thrilled and excited to hear Whitney was going to help out with a class – we need more professors like Whitney who have a strong sense of balance between research and practice, but also want to help mentor and educate future professionals in the field. The students at WSU are beyond lucky to have Whitney and Rebecca as their professors (wish I could sit in on one of their classes!) Perhaps via Periscope or Meerkat? 🙂
In summary, I couldn’t be more proud of what Whitney continues to do in the digital field. She’s not only a stellar student, but truly an amazing person. Each time I met her colleagues at GM and talked about Whitney, everyone raved about how awesome she is, the exceptional work she is doing for GM, and her work ethic. It was an honor to have such a student in class and for my fellow professors/social media professional friends – keep your eye out for Whitney Drake. She’s setting the social and digital media industry on fire with her work and she will continue to do so.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
