Reflection: How GSPA impacted my career

Lakeshia Poole leads and inspirational discussion with Media and Leadership Academy participants on June 4, 2018. Open to rising high school sophomores to seniors,the MLA is Grady College’s weeklong residential summer program focused on experiential learning.

“I attended the Georgia Journalism Academy (now the Media and Leadership Academy) in 2001 and that was the first time I'd ever heard of public relations. I was a pre-law/political science major planning to attend UGA in the fall. I had such an amazing time that week, meeting other incredibly ambitious journalism students. I also found a mentor in the Georgia Scholastic Press Association’s director at the time, Margaret Blanchard (MA ’98). She encouraged me to major in public relations and hired me as an assistant the next year. It was a wonderful opportunity to give back to students and help them discover journalism careers and Grady like I did. Working at GSPA gave me the freedom to gain hands-on marketing, design, content development and event planning/management experience and the confidence to develop and implement my own ideas. I know I wouldn't have majored in PR or had as successful a career as I have had if I hadn't attended the Georgia Journalism Academy.”

-Lakeshia Poole (ABJ '05), author and founder of Jack of All Trades Media

Share your GSPA reflection in celebration of the organization’s 90th anniversary! Email GSPA director Stephanie Moreno at s.moreno@uga.edu or gspa@uga.edu.