5 Tips for Staying Informed as a PR Student

5 Tips To Staying Informed For PR Students graphic

By Paige Seguine

For public relations professionals, it is crucial to stay informed about current events and industry news. It is important to understand what is going on in your clients’ industry to better understand and address their needs. As PR students, our time in college is essential for preparing ourselves for postgrad careers. A great way to do that is by getting in the habit of reading the news, tracking trending stories and keeping up with our local and national communities. 

However, staying informed is easier said than done. It is overwhelming trying to keep up with the fast-paced, never-ending news cycle. As future PR practitioners, however, it is important to develop those skills as early as possible to succeed in the future. Here are some tips to become well-rounded readers and stay up-to-date on what’s happening in  the PR industry:

  1. Mobile News Apps

Traditional news media is a great way to get a glimpse of everything happening in the world. Local and national news outlets cover a wide range of topics and are constantly updated. Almost every outlet now has a mobile app that makes getting information accessible and easy to find. Phone providers like Apple and Samsung have their own apps that aggregate trending news stories. This is a great way to find out what is happening when you start your day. Setting notifications on these stories keeps you in the loop as they progress, too. 

  1. Utilizing Twitter

Twitter is a great source of information, especially in the PR and media industries. The ‘Trending’ section shows you what topics are currently popular and what audiences are saying. Content on Twitter moves quickly and can provide you with the most recent thoughts about your organizations. People take to the platform to share their thoughts about positive and controversial news. Users are honest and straightforward, which makes for useful qualitative feedback.  Understanding how to use Twitter is key to connecting with stakeholders and scanning your client’s environment. 

  1. Checking Google Alerts 

Google Alerts is a great way to track web mentions of your client, a product or a hashtag. Sometimes you just need to figure out what people are looking for concerning your client. Alerts let you pick multiple keywords and set notifications for updates. For example, searching “Chico State” provides you with the most recent news articles containing the phrase in the title or body. This can help PR professionals track media coverage as quickly as possible and stay up to date all day long as new stories are published.

  1. Reading Trade News

Not only is it important to track your client’s media coverage but, it is imperative to stay up to date on PR industry news as a whole. This helps you understand trends and tactics, updates to your clients’ industries and competitor news. Trade organizations including PR Week, PR Daily and PR Newswire share industry news, press releases and tips for a wide range of topics. They provide information about events, awards and networking opportunities that can help you connect with your client and their audiences. Trade publications are a helpful resource for truly navigating the career field and building your professional knowledge. 

  1. Listening to Podcasts

Not everyone loves reading news articles and staring at their screens to get their daily dose of information. Instead, podcasts offer need-to-know information with easy listening. If you’re looking for traditional news content, podcasts like The Daily focus on the biggest news stories of the day. The Spin Sucks and other media podcasts offer insight into PR, marketing and advertising content that makes for productive listening. Podcasts allow listeners to absorb important information without feeling overwhelmed by busy copy. 

Reading the news can sometimes feel slow and overwhelming but for public relations practitioners, it is more than just reading the news.

Our job is to keep an eye out for what is going on in our industry, between our clients and their audiences, and our competitors’ behaviors.

As students, we use our time to prepare for our future careers. Using these five resources, we can build the necessary skills to become informed, successful PR professionals. 

Subscribing to Self-Feedback and Insights to Remember

By Devonte Barr

With all the tools out there designed and intended to improve performance, it can be easy to forget that small things can make the biggest impact. Feedback is of the most valuable assets used to emend anything produced for the use of others. Not to mention things like performance, reaching milestones and the evolution of one’s skills. 

Feedback lets us know the parts that can and should be altered for the betterment of the whole. In the case of self-feedback, the intention is the same, except instead of relying on an outside source the source is you. It’s common to confuse self-feedback with confirmation or affirmation. Where they differ is essential in the process of getting effective results when overseeing completed work. Affirmations are more like positive reinforcements aimed to coral the mind towards a desired outcome. Self-feedback is after the fact, and its viewpoint is centralized around reflection and the execution of the task at hand. 

The struggle I run into most of the time is making sure the feedback I give myself is productive. At the end of the day, I don’t want to deflate my work or my motivation at making it as flawless as possible. What I always try to remember is that the feedback needs to elevate the work. As I mentioned before, it can be extremely easy to judge one’s own creation and halt the flow of progression. Because of this, I’ve come up with about five things that can help keep your self-critique on a productive path. 

The first one is simple, but also tricky because of the innate echo chamber that exists in our minds, it’s being forthright with your effort. A lot similar to being honest with oneself but in the case of effort, only one person knows if you gave it 100% effort or not. Taking stock of this is crucial because it allows you to see where your work lacks vis-a-vis the effort you put in. In other words, based on the level of care and time you put in, the results of your work will reflect that. 

Compartmentalizing is another helpful exercise to get used to as it helps with prioritization and organization. This response is to ensure that when you’re critiquing your work you’re focused on the things that matter. Dividing the structure and the project from the pieces that are inconsequential is how you build on what is solid to discard what is not. Incidentally, the mastery of this exercise will move in tandem with my next insight, which is revising with prudence. 

Practicing prudence is not only key for self-development but in the case of editing one’s work, it can serve as a sort of scalpel. Sharp on the edges and precise on its lines, the scalpel is how I like to envision my critique when going over my work. It’s helpful because the edits are purely surgical and don’t reflect talent or ability. Discerning from prudence and over-analyzing is crucial for keeping the trajectory of your work going forward instead of backward.

When I was in high school, I had a book of quotes by some of the world’s most influential people. There was only one quote I remember out of that entire book, and it has guided me through most of my life. The quote goes, “Be quick but not in a hurry.” John Wooden, one the greatest basketball coaches to ever live, would say this to his teammates and oftentimes get mixed responses. At face value, the phrase sounds sort of confusing, but if you break it down the message is pretty clear. In the act of revising, it’s important to be timely. Picture doing any task around the house that you’ve done a thousand times to the point where it’s a routine, like sorting laundry. The quickness in your decision-making on what goes where becomes in sync with your movements in a way that feels somewhat rhythmic. If you were to hurry your way through the selection process, throwing items in disorganized piles for instance, the result would no doubt lie beneath that of taking your time. The same goes for self-feedback. The intention is to get as accurate results as possible and the only way to do this is by becoming comfortable with a routine or some pre-structured steps to keep your attention on track. 

The final thing I’ve learned is somewhat difficult to convey as it applies differently from person to person. Self-actualization is, in my mind, the most important of all these insights, and for good reason. The constraints put on you by outside forces are loosened with self-actualization. 

To me, the ultimate lesson learned in any situation is living in the moment. Being present and aware of your abilities and skills will stop you from feeling discouraged and disconnected from your work. 

Applying self-actualization to self-feedback is invaluable in all cases because the work has come from you and only you can determine what you enjoy. For a perfect example of self-actualization, envision playing the trumpet, and for the sake of context let’s say you’ve been playing trumpet your whole life. After you graduate college, you continue to play and keep playing even though it may never lead to money but, you play because it brings you satisfaction. That is self-actualizing. Understanding that you are doing what you do because you care, and because it means something to you. Separating talent from one’s self is hard, but it’s important to remember that our talent doesn’t define us. It’s only what we choose to do with it that makes an impact. 

Feedback can always tell us something we didn’t think of to help us grow and evolve. Remember, self-feedback isn’t a replacement for what you receive from others but rather an accessory. Keeping hold of these insights might help you conquer the challenges that come with self-feedback, allowing you to stay productive and motivated.

Feel Differently

Self portrait created by Walker Hardy in deep thought.

By Walker Hardy

A jolting sound is sent through my system, causing my eyes to wire open at 7:00 a.m. – it’s time to start the school and work day. I sluggishly get out of my bed and start to get ready, dissociating and waiting for my system to wake up. 

Looking at my reflection, my system is awake now and my mind seems to start to think about all the stressors in my life; my living situation, my health, what’s gonna happen if… I allow my anxiety to drive me up a wall. 

I pick out my favorite sweater, one that will give me security and comfort as I throw together avocado toast with pepper and Sriracha. I rush out the door to make my 9:30 a.m. lecture and try to forget my stress. Just keep pushing. 

I continuously ignore the tension in my body, hoping for the moment I can unlock the red front door to my home, my comfort place. I get to my safety box of a room and plop down onto my office chair. My body feels heavy and my head leans forward as my eyes become watery from feeling stuck, frustrated and tired in life and school. 

I look up at my yellow post note on my clipboard that says, ‘remember impermanence.’ 

As a newer TGC member, there have been moments when I’ve felt worried and overwhelmed with the responsibility of working with real-world clients. I felt stuck with dealing with the heat, however, I tried to remind myself that feelings come and go. 

I nurture myself to the idea that if I feel stuck, that’s okay, it’s new and I will get the hang of it.  

Reminding yourself that you will feel differently soon is the theme of impermanence. 

Impermanence in the workspace environment has been a key outlet for me to remind myself that things can be new and scary but they could eventually turn into something beautiful and beneficial. 

The things that don’t change in life become secure, giving you that sense of familiarity and belonging. Yet that security body feels can bring the feeling of permanence; everlasting, however, that personally leads me into a deep, dark spiral. 

On the flip side of permanent things, Buddhism interprets impermanence as events in the environment in our physical, internal and emotional skeletons that will continuously change, evolve and grow. 

Buddhism ideologically, whether (Annica or Anitya,) defines impernance as being a theme of 

“Everything changes and nothing last’s forever.”

Rather than continuously dwelling on what causes me discomfort in life, I feel the discomfort and hope that when I open my eyes for the next day, I might feel better and if I don’t, I will feel differently soon.

Within the past few months, I realized the not-so-positive effects of never being satisfied or letting your body feel emotions. I have a hard time telling my inner self that it’s okay to feel my worries. 

To not dwell on what I don’t have or let myself get carried away with how bad things are since my feelings could change within a week or the next day. 

Impermanence has worked its way into my emotional life, too. Rather than stuffing down my challenging feelings, I let myself feel that emotion, hoping it  passes so I learn what to do next time. I feel stuck or want to feel differently. 

Acknowledging my inner feelings will genuinely allow me to grow in my career endeavors and find peace of mind in young adulthood. 

Whether in my workspace or school life, when I’m starting to feel my body get tense and scared of what if, I challenge myself to the idea that everything changes; reminding myself that my feelings will shed and I’ll have new skin.

We Are PR, We Are TGC

We.

By Eve Miller

Tehama Group Communications is a community of PR professionals that was created in the late 1980s. Since it first opened in 1990, TGC has allowed thousands of students to come together in a team environment where they work directly with real clients to create PR strategies and take on responsibilities for client projects from start to finish.

With new clients each semester, TGC staffers are able to have hands-on experience that only select university students get. Of the 23 CSU campuses, only ten have student-run PR firms, with TGC being one of the first. 

Tehama Group Communications has started many students’ careers. It teaches them hard skills, such as email marketing or running a campaign, and soft skills, like working with different types of people or pushing through when things go wrong. 

TGC alums work in positions that range from vice presidents to entry-level workers. As the community of staffers continues to grow, alumni of all ages, all over the world, are willing to help others with tips and tricks, even finding open positions within their prospective field. 

Now more than ever, Tehama Group Communications is highlighting the significant number of past, present and future students and how we can all come together as one. Each student who has walked through the door to Tehama 310 is unique and has their own skills. 

No matter who they are, one thing is for sure. We are PR. The slogan ‘#WeArePR’ was created last semester by the TGC public relations team as a way to bring staffers together through our shared career paths.

As an agency, we are creative, we are professional, and most importantly, we are family.

This Giving Day on March 1, TGC aims to raise $6,000 to help keep the program running. All donations will go towards a multitude of things such as:

  • Funding the TGC student scholarship
  • Sponsoring monetary awards for student leaders
  • Maintaining TGC site visit opportunities
  • Serving pro bono clients
  • Providing gifts to our alumni guest speakers

All donations, no matter how small, make a difference in helping the agency thrive. It helps set up generations of staffers for a better future. 

Whether you were a part of the agency in 1990, a recent graduate or a future staff member, you are a part of something bigger than yourself. Mattie Orloff, a spring 2022 graduate of Chico State and the PR Director for her last semester in TGC, says she still feels connected to the program.

“I grew a lot. When I joined TGC, that’s when I started to really take my education and career seriously…I still follow my old TGC coworkers on social media and keep up with the TGC Instagram,” says Orloff. 

Orloff received a job offer from The Hatch Agency in San Francisco a week before graduating and was recently promoted from her six-month internship to a full-time position. With at least three TGC alumni, The Hatch and other firms like it are becoming familiar with the TGC community, showing how connected we are. 

Orloff, many other alums, and even current students of Tehama Group Communications, have been given the opportunity to learn and grow in various ways. Each position within the agency is crucial to making TGC run smoothly. Ranging from graphic designers and videographers to account executives and general managers, students’ different skills play a huge part in creating PR strategies and plans for clients each semester. 

Butte College IDEAA team meeting.
Photo by Eve Miller

One of our recurring clients, The Butte College Office of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equality, Accessibility and Anti-Racism, asks the team to work on creating stories for their newsletter. By reaching out for interviews and producing their own images, the team creates quality writing to add to their resumes while staying on top of their client’s social media platforms.

Taking on anywhere from four to six clients a semester, TGC aims for excellence in each team. This semester, the agency has six clients, with each staffer assigned to two clients. 

Whether the teams are helping Krōōd with their upcoming campaigns and outreach or assisting Chico State’s Asian American Studies department in creating a logo and gaining enrollment, each team is constantly improving their skills. No matter their starting skill level, all staffers grow and become part of the family at Tehama Group Communications. 

Current General Manager, Skylar Trostinksy looks back on her time in TGC.

“Not only has TGC given me the tools to better my future as a PR professional, but it’s provided me with a community of life-long friends and connections,” she says, while noting how corny it sounds. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be general manager this semester and grow my leadership skills one day at a time.” 

Having been a part of TGC for two semesters now, Trostinsky has been able to watch herself and others grow into the PR professionals that the agency strives for. 

Tehama Group Communications has brought a sense of belonging to many. It’s a safe place for anyone willing to work hard and grow their skills. 

Not only do you learn who you are as a professional during your time here in TGC, but also as a person and worker. You create long-lasting friendships you didn’t know you needed. Once you step into Tehama Room 310, it doesn’t matter your background or your aspirations, you work together as a team in the present without worrying about the past or future. 

As an agency, we are creative, we are professional and most importantly, we are family.

Tools To Make PR Less Like ER

Tools To Make PR Less Like ER by Gabriela Rudolph

By Gabriela Rudolph

As someone working in public relations, keeping up with social media and tasks can be a heavy lift. What if I were to tell you that there are online tools that can make your job just a bit easier? I’ve decided to compile this list for different areas of PR: 

Social Media

  1. Canva

Canva can make just about anyone a graphic designer. Even with the free version, users can create visually appealing social media graphics for every platform. It’s very easy to use and also includes templates to make the designing process even easier. Canva graphics can also be shared with others, which is great when collaborating with your team. The general version of Canva is free and Canva Pro is $119/year.

  1. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a social media management tool that allows you to schedule social media posts ahead of time and analyze results. Hootsuite starts off at $49 and allows you to manage up to 10 social media accounts.

  1. Buffer

If you want a more simple social media management tool, Buffer is a great start and offers a free plan that allows you to manage up to three accounts. What I like about Buffer is that you can design a free “Start Page” that combines all your social media accounts in one place. This is similar to LinkTree, but what makes it better is that it does the work for you.

Media Relations/Outreach

  1. Muck Rack

Muck Rack is your best friend when it comes to building a media list and finding journalists’ contact information. Simply type in the reporter’s name and Muck Rack will provide you with their contact information, their current position, a list of news outlets they’ve written for and their latest articles. Journalists sometimes will include times that they prefer to receive pitches, or how long they prefer pitches. Muck Rack is the best for young PR professionals because of its free tools.

  1. Cision

Similar to Muck Rack, Cision is media monitoring software with a large media database and PR analytical tools. The drawback to Cision is that it is a bit more complex to use rather than Muck Rack. However, it’s worth looking into because of its many features.

  1. HARO

Part of Cision, HARO stands for Help A Reporter Out. This tool matches journalists and PR practitioners together. How it works is that journalists will send out an inquiry and PR practitioners have the opportunity to answer their questions and send a pitch to them.  

  1. Prowly

Prowly is another media database and is one of the most user-friendly of them all. Along with helping you find media contacts, Prowly can organize press releases, create online newsrooms and more. The platform is on the pricier side and starts off at $189/month, however Prowly does offer a 7-day free trial.

Project Management

  1. Asana

When working with a team, you need a place to put all your work in one place. Asana is a “work management” platform that organizes tasks and shows the teams progress over time. It also has a social media calendar built into the platform that is accessible to everyone in the team. Team members can add their content in and create subtasks for other members of the team to collaborate and approve. My favorite part about it is that you can see how projects improve over time and when you complete a project, a unicorn flies over the screen.

  1. Basecamp

Basecamp is a great platform for file and project management. Just like Asana, Basecamp allows team members to assign tasks to other members of the team. A feature that I really like about Basecamp is that it allows you to “ping” someone, which essentially is a direct message. Basecamp also has something called “campfire” where someone from the group can send a message and it notifies everyone in the team. This eliminates having to use outside forms of communication like Slack, or email.

Top 3 Essentials For Managing A Social Media Account

Top 3 Essentials For Managing A Social Media Account By Lauren Shannon

By Lauren Shannon

It can be tough to start and manage a successful social media account. If you want to reach people and build a solid following there’s a lot you have to do, which can be overwhelming. Here are the top three essential ways to stay on top of your social media accounts. 

  1. Know what message you want to send to your audience

Social media is a great tool used to promote your business but only if you are strategic with what you are posting.

The content you post should send a strong message to your audience about who your company/you are.

Before creating a social media account for your brand, you need to set goals. Do you want to teach your audience something? Do you want them to buy your product? Or do you want them to engage in contests and campaigns?  

Tehama Group Communications’ social media account showcases the work our agency produces and the strengths of our team members. It sends the message that we are a hardworking, successful agency and aims to generate engagement with past, current and future clients. TGC communicates this by highlighting three main ideas; the projects we’re currently working on, the clients we work with and our stellar staff. When prospective clients visit our social media pages they are shown reasons why they should choose us for their public relations needs. 

  1. Know what type of content you’re posting

The most successful social media pages are ones that follow a cohesive theme and pattern. The easiest way to create a theme is to follow a branding kit. A branding kit is a collection of specific colors, fonts and logos that make up a business’s visual identity. For example, Google only uses specific green, yellow, red and blue for all of their logos. When you apply brand guidelines to your social media, it makes your brand identifiable and consistent. According to WeIgniteGrowth.com, this consistency “is vital for building brand recognition and trust” with both consumers and investors.

After you have your branding kit in place, it’s time to think about what posts you want to create. A social media page should be filled with a mix of hard and soft posts. A hard post is important, relevant and timely, such as announcements for new products and projects or introductions for new team members. Soft posts on the other hand are evergreen, easy to create in advance and can be posted at any time. Industry tips and tricks and general posts about what your company does are just two examples of soft posts. 

  1. Create a schedule 

Now that you know what message you want to send to your audience, and what content you want to share, it’s almost time to start posting! Before uploading content to your channels, it is good practice to create a schedule. Without a schedule, it becomes easy to lose track of what you’re sharing causing odd posting patterns, and rushed or unproofed posts. No one wants to follow a page that’s littered with typos and random content circulations. 

One of the easiest ways to schedule posts would be to create a table with three columns: date to be posted, caption and graphic to be used. This allows you to visualize what your feed will look like. Another way to manage posts is to invest in a social media management tool such as Sprout Social or Hootsuite These tools allow users to monitor and schedule content to all social media accounts at one time. They also offer several other features such as campaign planners, analytic tools and performance trackers to save time and improve “the effectiveness of your social campaigns,” according to Forbes

Now that you have a message you want to send to your audience, know how your content is going to communicate it and have created a schedule, you are ready to become a social media manager! 

A Moment Of Self Reflection

Sketch by Marc Mercado

By Marc Mercado

I remember when I switched my studies from concrete industry management (CIM) to interior architecture my freshman year. Even the architecture advisor questioned why I wanted to switch programs considering how successful CIM is.

That was the reason why I chose CIM for my academic career at Chico State. At that point in my life, I was driven by the expectations others set for me, with hopes of leaping over the poverty line. It only took the introductory course to push myself to look into other avenues– if this was going to be my full-time career I needed something more;

I was on a line: “to be a concrete man, or to know that I can [succeed without sacrificing]”.

With a minor in theatre arts, I looked forward to pursuing a program that included media arts. I came across the Media, Art, Design and Technology department, researched the major advisors, and I got in touch with Jennifer Meadows.

I hoped that she would be able to tell that I was lost and this was where I belonged, but my path continued to change and after that meeting, I kept looking. I was honestly intimidated by something new.

I thought, “if I’m worried about learning new skills/software in this academic path, then why not look for something that already encompasses my own skills and knowledge?”

Then I found interior architecture, so I figured, I know how to draw, I love design, and this will also satisfy two important areas of my life: family expectations and financial goals. There was much to love about this major, and to this day, I look back and wonder what life would have been like.

  Int. Architecture sketches by Marc

Fall was turning into winter. I was burning up and freezing at the same time; during this time my mental health was declining so during break, I flew to Mexico. Being outside of the country where I studied and worked felt incredibly liberating, I was surrounded by the beautiful Michoacán coast, the most blue skies and the greenest plants. This place is a sanctuary to me, it’s where I spent most of my childhood.

Playa Chuquiapan by Marc Mercado

A month turned into one more night and then I was in the sky, flying back “home”. There was still a lot of healing to be done, I hadn’t spent time thinking about the things I was still dealing with, but at least had a new academic plan.

It’s Junior Year, the first semester is a breeze, I joined AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) and felt comfort knowing I was part of a design community. I forgot to mention that every time I went to academic advising for my major changes, I had to do all the “figuring it out” and show up with a plan. The absolute best advice I got was from a friend, Luciana, who encouraged me to pursue this graphic design path.

The second semester was unexpected. My confidence level in this new program was low, but I knew I was still learning. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough “graphic design” and was still figuring out how I could find passion in this form of art and design. During this semester there were many new professors in the department and talks about how some would say “ you should’ve learned X in Jane Doe’s class”. The unveiling of Chico State’s rebrand happened during the same time students in our program were being told they wouldn’t be able to graduate on time due to class shortages and the entirety of at least two classes emailed the department with concerns about a discourteous professor.

With all this going on, I wasn’t sure of my place here at Chico State. The more I fell in love with graphic design, and learned about how to use it to communicate, to express and to create art, the more I saw how unimportant I was to my university. I turned my cheek and saw the Academy of Arts in San Francisco. Immediately, I began planning; I reached out and began the application process.

I was on the phone with Chico State but they kept me on hold. The Academy was ringing but the minutes were too expensive. I felt like I needed better guidance, I needed professors that cared, a campus that recognized my passion. I was going to end up paying more out of pocket than I ever did at Chico and could tell that my ambition was too much for my family, for our bank accounts. It was only going to be an online program anyway.

A letter was sent to my address, from the Academy. I got in, it all came down to the story I wanted to tell:

Work with what I’m given and persevere? Or succumb to a for-profit school and find myself in a worse financial situation?

Clearly, I chose the former option. It’s like this mantra I heard some years back about how a good artist can work under any circumstance.

Projects done by Marc Mercado
Projects done by Marc Mercado
Projects done by Marc Mercado
Projects done by Marc Mercado

Tips To Help You Stay Organized

Pen and notebook

By Madison Starboin

Staying organized is very important, especially in the world of public relations.

As a college student I am balancing so many responsibilities, so for me staying organized is not only a priority, but it is how I survive my crazy schedule. 

I work 16-18 hours per week, I have four classes, and I have an internship that requires about 10-12 hours per week of meetings and work. If it wasn’t for staying organized and using my first 3 years of college to find a system that works for me. 

Here are a few tips I’ve learned about staying organized and finding the right system for you.

The first and most obvious thing is to try different time-management systems to see what works best for you. There are a variety of different ways to keep track of your schedule and tasks. This is important because the older you get the busier your schedule is and the more vital it is for you to be organized. Some people use paper calendars or planners to keep track of events and assignments. For me, I have found that online methods work better for me because I can set reminders and check the schedule without carrying around a bulky calendar.

Remember, this is trial and error, so if something does not work, there are always other methods.

The internet is an amazing tool for finding out how people stay organized.

Another tip that I have is if your work, school, or internship requires you to use a tool or recommends a certain tool, try it out. Even if you don’t like it or aren’t required to use it, it is free so it is worth a shot to see if it works for you. For example, my internship uses basecamp which I love for having a central place to post and access documents.

This tip only works if you like using online tools to stay organized, but I highly recommend using Google. Google a ton of free tools to help you stay organized and you are easily able to access them from anywhere. I use google calendar for organizing my schedule. I set reminders, add events, and keep track of tasks. I can even put color codes and have the app send me a reminder 30 minutes before the event. It is also easy to delete or repeat events. The best thing of all is that it is completely free and there is no subscription fee to be able to use most of their products. 

Within the Google Suite, I absolutely love using Google Keep. For those of you who don’t know what Google Keep is, it is virtual sticky notes and lists. I use this for my class assignments and tasks for TGC. I color code them and make checklists. This way I can see all the things I need to do for all my classes and internships in one organized place.

The last tip that I have is to keep a communication log. This is something I learned at work. I work in the Whitney hall mailroom and communicating with people after your shift is key. We use an online excel sheet to make notes about packages or anything that may happen on another shift. I have found that this is helpful when people work at different times, so it may not be something that works for your environment

I hope that these tips have inspired you to stay organized or at least gave you ideas on how to spice up how you organize your life!

Online Resources for Graphic Design

Graphic design of a laptop

By Claudia O’Brien

As a graphic designer, having a foundational knowledge of graphic design principles is essential but can always be helped with tools and resources. 

“We live in an age where there is endless information and material provided by renowned designers and artists online for free.” – Claudia O’Brien

I believe using this online field of information to an advantage is essential to any design student looking to advance their skills. In this blog, I will feature several of my most favored resources online.

Chico State’s Adobe Creative Cloud

I shouldn’t write a blog about this topic without mentioning our university’s prepaid subscription to Adobe. Adobe Creative Cloud is a subscription package that enables access to all Adobe software, fonts, free images, and more. If you’re a student enrolled at Chico State, all you need to do is submit a request to the university’s IT support team and download the Adobe Creative Cloud dashboard. The university offers this service completely free for students.

Colors

Sometimes knowing color theory isn’t enough to create an appealing set of hues right out of your head. My first go-to is Coolors.co. Fabrizio Bianchi founded the website and is a web developer known for creating exceptional and contemporary websites. 

The biggest sell on this particular site is its highly interactive color palette generator. The generator displays attractive color palettes that can be randomized to another color palette, customized by individual hue, be tested for color blindness/accessibility, and many more features on the same web page. Each generated color has its color codes on display for users that are looking for the most suitable hues for screens and printing. Besides the generator, the website has other unique features: hundreds of palettes created and shared by other users, a tool for picking colors from images, and a contrast checker.

Free Images

Free images are classified as public domain- they do not require copyright and royalty fees. Unsplash.com is a beginner-friendly site that has many high-quality free images. The website does not require users to make an account, and there is no limit on the number of images you can download. The images are categorized by themes of Travel, Nature, Business, etc. The site also offers a search engine. When clicked, each photo lists the photographer’s name, the location, and the type of camera used.

Mockups

A mockup is a model meant to display a product or design. An example is a design that has been digitally applied to an image of a T-shirt. When a design is shown to a client, they want to see what the design looks like on the product, not just the design by itself. Mockups can be created within Adobe software, but that takes time and skill. Smartmockups.com offers many customizable mockups free of charge. Users can upload their design to any of the offered images and 3D models and download a JPEG of a completed mockup image.

All in all, countless more free resources are available. I encourage any designer to take advantage of them, as they are there to be used! If you’re interested in learning about more design resources, this article provides various websites to check out.

5 Tips To Help Manage Anxiety In College: From A PR Student

Pink sunset clouds.

By Jessica Delgado

College students deal with so much during the four years they are in college. Some students take on financial independence, life obstacles, challenging circumstances, and toxic relationships throughout their college years. 

Anxiety can take over your entire day, running plans and obligations you made prior to being triggered. Most college students don’t know they are experiencing anxiety because they know little about it or how to handle it. 

In public relations, the amount of work and time you have to dedicate to strategy briefs, meetings, reports and collaborative work can be very overwhelming. 

Although I am not a licensed doctor and have no degree in psychology, I am a college student, and here are some of my self-help tricks to help with anxiety.

1. Allow yourself to take a step back  

I have experienced the saying, “I bite off more than I can chew,” when it comes to workload. I never want to miss any opportunity for growth in my school and personal life. But there really isn’t enough time in a day to do everything. I know we have all been in a position where we sit down to work on tasks and become completely overwhelmed with what is required from us. I have learned over the years that your mind cannot remember everything. Writing down tasks and their due date can help prevent you from missing deadlines. Planners are a helpful tool in organizing when a task is due. Staying organized with a planner allows you to meet deadlines, takes the stress of forgetting away, and helps prevent getting overloaded with things to remember. 

2. Be in the environment where you feel the safest 

I have always considered “my space” to be the safest. Sometimes if you are in an environment where there are a ton of people or in an unknown area, it can be overwhelming for your mind. Loud noises and chaos can spike one’s heart rate. Being able to go to “your space” to decompress can really help with lowering your anxiety. Whether your space is the TGC office, library, bedroom, kitchen, living room, or car – find a space where you feel comfortable and safe! 

3. Free write your emotions 

Before I found comfort in opening up to people I trusted, I found a lot of comfort in writing down what I feel. Sometimes, we don’t feel comfortable opening up to others, and that is completely okay! Once you begin writing, it can feel like a weight is being lifted off of you. Find something that releases negative emotions and feelings that benefits your mind, whether it is free writing or taking a walk outside. Our minds are very powerful and creative in thoughts. Find something that works for you! 

"You are stronger than what is making you anxious." -Jessica Delgado

4. Talk to a friend or loved one

Find comfort in a friend or loved one when you are experiencing anxiety. I know not everyone feels comfortable or has someone they can go to when they are experiencing anxiety. However, opening up and letting someone know what is going on with you can help. Taking a break to laugh and talk about things like what’s going on with the Kardashians, reality TV, or sports can really help your mind not be in “work mode.”  

5. Leaning on your peers in class 

I know here at TGC, everyone is willing to pick up the slack if help is needed. Having open communication about needing help on a brief or creative project you are working on can help you and your team. Everyone has good and bad days. Relying on your team and letting them know you need to be “saved” can prevent missed deadlines and upset clients. 

Managing anxiety is achievable. Take it day by day by finding what helps you in conquering it! You are loved and you are strong!