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I felt out of place walking into Allied Irish Banks, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I felt comfortable and welcomed. Paul Kelly, Katie Heston, and John McGeown greeted me with firm but inviting handshakes, and their presentation provided me with takeaways that were both eye-opening and reassuring. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul\u2019s insight specifically touched me, and I left with a long list of memorable one-liners. It stopped me in my tracks when he said,\u00a0\u201cWhen facts change, my opinion changes.\u201d So casually, he answered a question I’ve been battling with since my first PR class. Am I going to seem inauthentic if I change my mind? <\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This wasn’t a question at AIB, a company that believes exploration and questioning to be fundamental assets to sustainable success. With new information should come new ideas. I was shocked that even as a company with international pressure, their values could be so… good<\/em>\u2014talk about culture shock. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their collective opinion on the importance of sustainability for the employees opened my eyes to an entirely different world. I was quickly adjusting to the concept of companies serving not only their employees, but all people, and the planet they live on. Considerations for employees’ well-being, the longevity of environmental impacts, and carbon goals all came from the company’s core. Their mission comes from a genuine hope to do good, not from an attempt to follow trends. It made me uncomfortable that sustainability being practiced authentically seemed so foreign. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So many of the professional standards I thought I would have to go along with to be in the professional world seemed non-existent under EU regulations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I wondered why I felt so committed to America; under EU regulations, I wouldn’t have to worry about my agencies’ partnerships being unethical because it wouldn’t be an option.\u00a0My ethical and moral boundaries seemed to align much more with the standards within the international organizations we met with than with what I thought to be the American standard. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In PR classes, we often focus on speed. How fast can you deliver a message? How quickly can you respond to a crisis?\u00a0But the companies in Dublin honor adjusting to new ideas with patience. As\u00a0Paul said, \u201cI may be walking slow, but I’ll never walk backwards.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more quotes Paul shot out, the more my insecurities about the public relations industry began to melt away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I started to wonder if maybe I was critical of the professional world because I was limiting my interpretation of PR to my experience in America. Maybe I was so worried about fitting into the industry because America rewards fitting in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s taken me twenty-one years to figure out that I don’t like fitting in. It dampens my abilities, my communication superpowers. Expressing myself through clothing, language, and emotion is what gives me the strength and confidence to stand in front of a class and present a campaign strategy. In some settings, a snappy outfit and brightly colored, long nails would be considered unprofessional\u2014but not at THINKHOUSE. Donna Parsons, one of our hosts, welcomed us in a cute dress and black lace-up boots. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now to some that would seem like a pointless fact, but in my eyes, it was game-changing to see someone dressed like me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When she and Kieran O\u2019Donovan guided us up to an open room and sat on top of the table to begin the presentation, I felt like I could finally take a deep breath, relax my shoulders, and lean into the conversation. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Donna and Kieran introduced themselves, they highlighted the frequency of a \u201cnon-traditional\u201d career path leading their employees to THINKHOUSE. It was a brief moment, as if it wasn’t that important or unique for employees of a PR agency to come from various backgrounds. I felt truly seen. \u00a0While my PR professors have taught me the tactical skills and techniques that enable me to create a mock campaign on the spot, it’s my life experience that makes my delivery unique. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n My artistic expression\u00a0helps me generate creative ideas. My connections and conversations with strangers have taught me how to captivate an audience and how to tell a compelling story. My curiosity drives the burning questions that help me get to the bottom of things. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I credit my non-linear path for my clear head and values that are at the root of all of my communication. Without my experience, without my unique expression, and my unconventional characteristics I would not be the same great asset I am today, and I am thankful to THINKHOUSE for that reminder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we put our skills to the test during a mock campaign I was impressed with my professionalism. I wasn’t in a suit and tie or around a long table but I was captivating an audience with my presentation of a thought-out idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I think I had forgotten that there are many ways to be professional, that some agencies are stricter than others. I had forgotten that there was any other way than the American way. For some reason, I thought that I had to squeeze\u00a0myself to fit into this perfect, public relations, professional mold. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m not sure when I started believing that being an individual and having high ethical standards was going to make finding a job hard, but I am grateful to all the companies and organizations we met with in Dublin for the wakeup call that I\u2019ve got nothing to worry about\u2014as long as I’m in Ireland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n -Ila van Schaik<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I felt out of place walking into Allied Irish Banks, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I felt comfortable and welcomed. Paul Kelly, Katie Heston, and John McGeown greeted me with firm but inviting handshakes, and their presentation provided me with takeaways that were both eye-opening and reassuring. \u00a0 Paul\u2019s insight specifically touched … Continue reading Little Miss Professional<\/span>