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A Five-Minute Mentor
Tuesday, March 04, 2008

When I went to Loyalist College in Canada back in the 1980s, it was to study Print Journalism.  We learned how to be two-way journalists (print and photo) and to do layout and more ... basically everything you'd need to know to do community journalism.  After I left Loyalist I went on to receive my B.A. from Calvin College here in Grand Rapids, which is why I'm here today and not back in Canada (where some of you might think I belong!).

I was surprised by an email the other day from a professor of PR at Loyalist. They didn't have a PR program when I went there. Of course, few colleges had PR programs back in the mid-'80s. Anyway, this PRofessor contacted me because she had discovered this blog. She asked if I'd be a "Five Minute Mentor" to her students by answering a few questions, which I did. I don't know how much mentoring you can do in five minutes, but I'm always interested in helping students interested in PR as a career.

My daughter, meanwhile, is graduating from high school this spring and will be attending Grand Valley State University this fall. I have secret (ok, so now they're not so secret since she reads this every once in awhile) hopes that she'll go into communications as I did. It's not because I just want her to do what I do. It's because I think she'd be good at it. It's because I love what I do! It's because I could help her!  Grand Valley is one of the fastest growing colleges in Michigan (if not the fastest) and is based just 20 minutes outside Grand Rapids, so she won't be too far from home (although she will be living on campus). GVSU also has a growing presence in downtown GR, where the DeVos Center is a hub for upper level classes for a number of majors, including business.

Anyway, that's what was on my mind today. Being a five-minute mentor for some kids back in Ontario, and hoping to be a bit more than that for (at least) one kid here in GR!  :-)



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Comments

Jeffrey said:
Wednesday, March 05, 2008 #

That's pretty cool you want her to follow in your footsteps. I am hoping that as I build the business, I set a good enough example that my grandson will want to take it over someday.

Chuck Lia said:
Monday, March 10, 2008 #

Speaking of PR indirectly Robin, have you have read the new book by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss, "Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online"?  I found the book to be tremendously insightful about transparency in the age of Google.

Also, have you taken a look at Daniel Solove's late '07 release, "The Future of Reputation:  Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet"?

Curious as to your thoughts about the issues discussed if you have read or reviewed them.

.

Editor's Note: Thanks Chuck for the book referrals. I haven't read either but both sound very interesting and relevant to what we're trying to accomplish with the Opportunity Zone.  They're on my list!   -- RL

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