Top image: PR majors Alicia Caracciolo (l) and Megan vanVollenhoven at the Leadership Assembly.
Two public relations majors from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications have been elected to the 2024-2025 National Committee of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Megan vanVollenhoven and Alicia Caracciolo were selected during the PRSSA Leadership Assembly meeting in Seattle on March 11.
vanVollenhoven, a junior from Chapin, South Carolina, was elected vice president of career services. She will advise students nationwide on internship and job searches, offer guidance on career preparation and planning, manage inquiries to the PRSSA Internship Center (a national database of internship opportunities) and build connections with professionals through the Champions for PRSSA.
"I am thrilled to step into the new role," says vanVollenhoven. " I will prepare students to land their dream internships and jobs. This is something that feels very full circle as I recently landed an internship at Delta Airlines for this summer."
Last year, vanVollenhoven was the first ever member of the USC chapter elected to the PRSSA National Committee. She currently serves as the national vice president of professional development and is responsible for advancing ethical principles, helping students build professional connections and student-run firms.
"Many universities have firms like The Carolina Agency, who do real work for real clients," vanVollenhoven says. "While being in this role and in TCA, I have been able to use each experience hand in hand. My work in TCA informs my advice to firms nationwide and vice versa."
Caracciolo is a sophomore Honors College student from Long Island, New York. She will serve as PRSSA’s vice president of events and fundraising. Her primary responsibility will be to assist chapters nationwide with planning and hosting a district conference and other events. She also will provide guidance and inspiration for chapter fundraising.
As the current vice president of programming for the USC PRSSA chapter, Caracciolo chaired the highly successful Southeast District Conference, the 'PoweR of Sports Media'.
"I am extraordinarily proud of these dynamic young women who represent our university, the CIC, USC PRSSA and their families so well," says PR sequence head and senior instructor Kelly Davis. "Their roles on the PRSSA National Committee will continue to elevate our national presence and profile."
About the Public Relations Student Society of America
The Public Relations Student Society of America is the foremost organization for students
interested in public relations and communications. Since 1967, PRSSA has served hundreds
of thousands of student members, offering educational programs, resources, scholarships,
and mentorship opportunities that prepare students for a successful career in communications.
For nearly 50 years, the organization has hosted the Bateman Case Study Competition,
which challenges student teams to implement a public relations campaign for an actual
client. PRSSA is active on college and university campuses across the U.S., as well
as Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.prssa.org.