Be Kind, Pay Attention & Be Present.
Lisa Ross, Managing Director for APCO Worldwide.
These words resonated with high school students from Cesar Chavez School for Public Policy as they visited APCO Worldwide, a corporate communications firm with offices all over the world. On February 11th, 2016, 15 students visited the Washington, DC offices of APCO for an Authentic Career Experience sponsored by Mentor Foundation USA.
Students with an interest in mass communications and/or public relations visited APCO to learn about potential careers and to learn what the skills are that lead to success in these type of jobs. They were hosted and inspired by APCO leaders such as Mrs. Lisa Ross, Managing Director; Mr. Brent Crane, Associate Director; Ambassador Tim Roemer, Senior Counselor; and Dr. Josh Walker, Director of Global Programs.
In addition to learning about general career information, the students also used what they learned about public relations to create a PR strategy which addressed the recent “Chipotle crisis”. Working in groups, they shared ideas with mentors from APCO regarding what they would do (or not do) in order to increase sales and restore the brand integrity of Chipotle.
Mentor USA appreciates companies such as APCO opening their doors to our students and we look forward to working with APCO again in the near future to expose more young people to careers within public relations. Mr. Crane shared with the Mentor Foundation staff and students that his “…dream job is to switch careers and go into education, once his children grow older”. The experience with our mentees affirmed Mr. Crane’s future career goal as a teacher as he shared that “the experience was just as rewarding for him as it was for our students, if not more so”!