Seton Hall Senior Named Future PR Pro of the Year  

Jiaqi Liu, a senior at Seton Hall University, has recently been named 2022 Future Public Relations Professional of the Year by the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. She was awarded a cash scholarship of $3,000, as well as a Certificate of Achievement and one-year membership for PRSA National and PRSA-NJ. As part of her application, the South Orange resident submitted a piece of a PR campaign to highlight the utilization of cannabis in creating equity. 

Liu, a senior majoring in Public Relations, reflected on her experience: "I first found out about this award through my PR Professor, Kathryn Lancioni, and previous winner, Madison Vance, so I had been on the lookout for it since May, even though it didn’t open until mid-June."

Liu had previously participated in the Bateman Competition, PRSSA’s premier national case study competition for students. Liu then went on to participate in SHU’s Communications Honors Associates Mentor Program (CHAMP), which pairs current Commarts students with alumni mentors at the top of their profession.

"I believe if it weren’t for the experience I got from doing Bateman that semester, in addition to the internship I got from CHAMP, I would not have been able to create such a strong submission," said Liu. "I say this because the prompt required you to create a pitch that could land a media placement, which is what I had accomplished in the two positions I mentioned."

She added, "However, I did find it challenging to pitch a widely known and talked about topic in a fresh way. I had emailed and reached out to current NJ-based Cannabis journalists in hopes of getting their perspective, with no luck. Ultimately, I read a few articles on the topic to see what mattered to media outlets who were covering Cannabis, which led me to write a pitch that emphasized the human side of Cannabis. Looking back, I was able to apply the PR model we’re taught in class, RPIE: Research, Planning, Implementation, and Execution."

Joan Bosisio, vice president of BML PR and professional advisor to SHU’s Public Relations Student Society of America nominated Liu for the award and describes her as having an "intense passion and talent for the field of communications."

"As her mentor, I see that Jiaqi will carry her curiosity and motivation for self-guided professional development throughout her career," said Bosisio.

About the College of Communication and the Arts

The College of Communication and the Arts currently offers graduate-level programs in Museum Professions and Communications, with the opportunity to pursue specialty areas of study, including options in Public Relations, Digital Communication/Communication Technologies, and Communication in Organizations. In addition, four dual-degree options, including three accelerated M.A./B.A. programs and a dual M.B.A./M.A. degree with the School of Diplomacy and International Relations are offered.

For more information about Graduate Studies within the College of Communication and the Arts, please contact Dr. Ryan Hudes.

Categories: Business, Research