Betty Hang and Emily Graybill. Courtesy photo
CENTRAL COAST — The California Gold Coast chapter of the Public Relations Society of America recently awarded its annual scholarships to Betty Hang and Emily Graybill, two students attending four-year colleges in the chapter’s geographic territory of Ventura, Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo counties. The scholarship program is designed to support local education and professionalism in communication and public relations.
University of California, Santa Barbara, student Betty Hang is majoring in communication and sociology. She has volunteered as a Life of the Party peer leader/student intern to help prevent student misuse of drugs and alcohol. She also serves as representative at large of the Residential Housing Association (RHA). Hang said she is attracted to the PR profession because “I value relationships and building a strong community in my work environment.”
Emily Graybill is a sophomore communications major at California Lutheran University. She works in the fund development department of Interface Children & Family Services while also working at a public relations agency and going to school full time. Graybill wants to leverage this education and experience to work in public relations for a nonprofit. “The ultimate dream is to take what I’m currently learning through school and my internships and use it to be a part of something bigger than myself,” she said.
The two scholarships of $500 each were awarded based on student academic merit and community involvement. “We had a significant number of very qualified students apply for the PRSA Gold Coast scholarship in our second year, which made it very hard to narrow the field to these two,” said Nancy Mayerson, PRSA Gold Coast chapter president. “Betty and Emily are both women of integrity and combined great academics with a contribution to the community and a commitment to the field. They are great examples of the future of the field of public relations.”
PRSA is a nonprofit organization chartered in 1947 and the world’s largest organization of public relations professionals with more than 21,000 public relations and communications professionals across the United States. The California Gold Coast Chapter was founded in 2014 and serves Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. For more information, visit www.prsagoldcoast.org