Passion or Poor Sport?

"Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure I can see that while I don't agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of the battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly."

Serena Williams let more than passion for her so called "job" get in the way of a bad call during the U.S. Open on Saturday, September 13th. She expressed anger and frustration, letting it all out on the line judge during her match against unranked Kim Clijsters.

Yelling obsenities to the judge such as "...I swear to God I'm #@?!ing going to take this #@?!ing ball and shove it down your #@?!ing throat..."

When asked if she was going to usher an apology to the poor line judge, Serena commented, "An apology? From me? Well, how many people yell at linespeople? Players, athletes get frustrated. I don't know how many times I've seen that."

So, no apology in sight. No sympathy. No remorse. Is this a role model? Or just another poor sported athlete who's been put in the limelight? I for one am disgusted at her reaction. Growing up as an athlete in high school, I was tempted to let tempers flare, but I always kept in mind that integrity is more important than winning a game...especially if I still got a paycheck even if I lost.

Growing up to PR

As a student in the public relations concentration, I feel it is important to condition the skills I have already achieved and learn and practice the skills I lack. I believe that I have attained (in one way or another) the "traditional" attributes which is why I chose public relations as a major.

• Writing - I have always been fond of writing and believe it is one of my strongest skills.




• Communication Skills - I enjoy meeting new people. I enjoy communicating with new and old acquaintances. I look forward to meeting people in order to advance my career as a public relations specialist.




• Attention to detail - I like detail. I like putting in that special touch. When it comes to event planning, this is something I will have to pay great attention to. But, it will be details that will always please the client.




• Media Relations - This will be something I will have to work on. Since we are planning on moving out to Colorado, I will have to get out there and make my name known to the media and the people int the community. However, good media relations will be the key!




• Proactiveness - I must admit, I struggle somewhat with proactiveness. I always get the job done, however I sometimes wait until the last minute to do things. Until it comes to my job. With school work, (yes, Dr. Miller, it's true) it is pretty much a guarantee that I will do something at the last minute. But, when I am on the job, (I have worked at a builder's office doing invoices and now as a waitress) I always see how fast I can get something done. I want to be finished and see the final product. I plan to carry this over into my PR profession.




• Work Ethic - This might be my strongest attribute. I like to help people, I want to see people happy. When I am at the restaurant working, I always help the other waitresses when I can see that they need it. I like being a servant.

Now, onto the new attributes - I don't posses as many of these qualities. I am new to blogging, and as of right now, I haven't seen the importance of the whole blog world. But, I know it is very useful and I hope that it can be used to my advantage one day...Twitter as well. I will have to use it more often (and thanks to Dr. Miller I will be)! I have accomplished facebook, though. I mean, what college student hasn't?

All in all, I believe that I can be a good public relations specialist. I have skills that can get me into the profession, but it never hurts to learn new things as well.

Why Public Relations?

Starting Out

After graduating high school in 2006, I thought that I had my whole life planned out. I was going to attend a two year college then transfer to Aiken Technical College in Aiken, South Carolina where I would pursue a radiography technician position. However, after living in Milledgeville for one year, plans changed. I had met many people. I just knew that Milledgeville would be the place for me for the next 3 years.

Why Public Relations?

I have always enjoyed meeting new people and stepping out of my comfort zone to do so, therefore I knew that mass communication would probably be the right area for me to search out. Once I got into the program (now department of Mass Comm!) I started my journey just taking courses that I needed in order to graduate. In the mean time, however my boyfriend had proposed to me and I had begun the process of planning a wedding. I absolutely loved planning every aspect of the event. From the flowers to the cake, the dress to the venue, I knew from that moment on that I could enjoy doing that as a profession. I love making people happy and working hard to achieve that goal.

Where to Next?

As of right now, I am looking at doing my internship with Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs where I would work alongside the Human Relations Administrator to plan meetings, weddings, and other special events held at the resort.

I hope to meet many people along the way who will be able to assist me in making my dreams come true! ~Cassie