This is the first of a series of upcoming posts written by BU students as part of a collaboration between BU PRSSA and PRSA Boston.
The following post was written by Taylor Hawthorne, a sophomore at Boston University with a double major in Public Relations and Journalism. Taylor is a contributing writer for BU’s student-led newspaper, “The Daily Free Press,” and an associate editor for its podcast “East to West.”
Before I came to college, people told me that the next four years were crucial in discovering my true passions. While some advice can be left as subjective, this was something I found to be true from the experiences I have had thus far at Boston University, specifically through the College of Communication and extracurricular activities. I found my greatest passion lies in podcasting, which is what led to me to double major in Journalism and Public Relations and join great organizations such as PRSSA.
I started getting into podcasts during the COVID-19 pandemic. I found I enjoyed listening to lifestyle, health, current events, and true crime podcasts, just to name a few. I began to dream of getting involved in the world of podcasting, researching behind-the-scenes work and how to better my public-speaking skills in order to become a host. During my first semester at BU, I began working for the Daily Free Press as a podcast contributor, and I also started a pop culture podcast in affiliation with WTBU Radio. From these experiences, my love for podcasting began to rapidly expand
My second semester, I was made a section editor for the Daily Free Press podcast section, and that’s when I made the choice to change my major from Psychology to PR and Journalism. I had been researching PR before I came to BU, and I found it was the perfect combination of my love for public-speaking, quick thinking, and calm demeanor in the midst of a crisis, along with requiring strong writing and overall communication skills.
Over that summer, I created my own podcast in affiliation with my blog (Thornes and Roses). After starting this, I was featured on the BYOB podcast created by a BU student, where I spoke about the presence of burnout among college students. I also ended up taking a job as a podcast assistant for the summer and continued it through the year.
All of this led me to the Digital Media and Blog Team of BU PRSSA, where I wanted to expand my knowledge of PR and connect with the organization overall using the media skills I’ve picked up from working in the field. BU PRSSA was interested in starting a podcast, which just happened to be the perfect task for me to take on. I got to collaborate with others as enthusiastic about PR as I was, and start a podcast from scratch. I truly felt my passions were connecting to each other.
The BU PRSSA podcast, PaPRazzi Pod, is now one of the digital media teams within the club. We discuss PR in relation to current pop culture topics and events, including Elon Musk buying Twitter and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Starting this podcast has been a huge highlight of my college career thus far, very much so proving the point that college is a prime opportunity to discover one’s passions. I am grateful to have further enhanced my love for public relations and the communications field in general through BU PRSSA’s opportunities. I am also grateful to have developed a love for innovation along the way in starting a new podcast for the organization.
Listen to the first episode of the PaPRazzi Pod here.
