Twenty Texas State University public relations students recently shadowed professionals in their work environments to see what their future careers could look like.
Leah Gonsalves, public relations junior, was among the students attending the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Austin’s Pro-Am Day in Austin on Nov. 8. The schools in attendance included TXST, University of Texas at Austin, and St. Edward’s University.
Gonsalves spent four hours shadowing Ann Lesseigne Tiedt, senior director of strategic communications, and Amelia Folkes, director of public relations, of Raise Your Hand Texas, a nonprofit raising awareness about public education policy in Texas.
Students also shadowed professionals from the City of Austin, Austin Habitat for Humanity, Emerson, Arcadis, Giant Noise, Hot Dog Marketing, Mercom Capital Group, and several other organizations.
Over four hours, Gonsalves toured their offices and met Bob Popinski, senior director of Policy. He explained how he interacts with his public relations team and how he relies on their writing. Gonsalves then participated in an activity where the team looked at various schools’ budgets and how to create their stories.
“The whole activity that she had us do helped me understand what I'm probably going to be doing in my future career,” Gonsalves said.
Next, she met Amanda Phillips, social media and content manager, who ran her through a media relations exercise on coordinating social media and informing the public on the latest news in Texas public schools.
“The shadowing experience gives you a taste of a career position before you get into an internship,” Gonsalves said.
Gonsalves attended the Pro-Am Day lunch where she networked with public relations professionals, such as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Texas Tribune Kerri Qunell, a TXST alum.
“It was a very diverse network of PR professionals who we had the chance to network and have lunch with,” Gonsalves said.
She finished the day with a session with Sam Heimbach, assistant professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at TXST, who advised the group on how to create their public relations portfolios.
Gonsalves expects to graduate in spring 2026 with a degree in public relations and is interested in going into public affairs after college.
“I've always been interested in messaging in government, campaigns, and how it's difficult to get out that message with all the media noise,” Gonsalves said.
One thing she learned through this experience is to always keep learning.
“Don't be afraid to dive into something you're not really comfortable with,” Gonsalves said.
Visit the TXST public relations webpage for more information about the program.