Public Relations Student Sought out Success

(Fall Semester)
By: Brandon Luthman

Megan Pettit, a senior Public Relations major at BGSU, is a very involved student throughout campus. She is a barista at Starbucks, a member of CHAARG (Changing Health, Attitudes, Actions, to Recreate Girls) and was the 2018 Homecoming director.

             “I really just did it for the interview experience. I wasn’t expecting to be named director at all, but ultimately got the position,” said Pettit.

            She had many committees working under her to coordinate Homecoming Weekend. Pettit handled all communication pieces for the event, and was able to use the experience as her on-campus internship requirement. Through her position, she was able to make great connections and work with school public figures including the mascots Freddie and Frieda, Sic Sic, and President Rodgers.

           “As a PR major, this was a great experience,” said Pettit. “I wrote a press release, created a video from scratch and edited it.”

            In addition to being Homecoming director, Pettit has also been able to use opportunities through her undergraduate classes to garnish once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. She traveled  to Paris as a part of a class to learn more about the public relations industry. In one of her classes, Pettit was assigned to conduct an interview and write a paper about her dream job in the public relations industry.

            “I decided to go big and interview Carleen Donovan, the founder and CEO of Donovan Public Relations in New York City,” said Pettit.

            Carleen Donovan has done public relations work for major names in the entertainment industry such as Drake, Rihanna, and Maroon 5. Donovan invited Pettit to the New York office to meet.

            “It was really cool getting a chance to meet Carleen,” Pettit said. “It was great to tour her office and talk to her about her experiences.”

            After Pettit returned from the trip, Donovan surprised her with tickets to see Maroon 5 in concert. Pettit and her mom went and were even able to meet the entire band after the performance.  

            With Pettit graduating in May, she already has a job lined up with a company close to home. She will be working for Hobart, which is located in Troy, Ohio and is a leading manufacturer of food equipment and foodservice industry. Pettit has interned with Hobart every summer since the end of her freshman year and will be working with the company’s marketing department upon graduation.

            Eventually, Pettit plans to pursue an online master’s degree through the University of Dayton which Hobart has offered to pay for.

            Pettit, who has had numerous leadership positions and excelled in the classroom, has benefited from the opportunities at BGSU to springboard her career.

“I really love BGSU and wanted to do something I would remember for a long time”.