Students of the University of Miami Public Relations Experience Program (PREP) concluded their academic year with a bang at the Department of Strategic Communication’s PRADDY Awards. The PRADDY Awards provide a platform for both advertising and public relations students to showcase their work in and out of classroom. The event was held at UM School of Communication’s Shoma Hall on April 30.  

“It’s exciting to work an event that I get to see all my peers and classmates at,” said Lina Abdullah, a junior PREP student majoring in Public Relations. “I not only get to see how accomplished they are in their individual fields, but it’s also nice knowing I was a part of the team that helped make the event run as smoothly as possible.” 

All seven PREP students at the PRADDY Awards assisted with the set-up of the event alongside Maria Scott, lecturer, Jack Miller, assistant professor of professional practice, and Sarai Nunez, lecturer, all from the Department of Strategic Communication. 

During the course of the event, PREP freshman Ruth Rocker, junior Lina Abdullah, and senior Ariella Tigertail, were hostesses as they greeted guests outside Shoma Hall. Inside Shoma Hall, PREP sophomore Jeremy Augustitus was the PowerPoint assistant, junior Isabella Di Giglio was the prize table manager making sure winners picked their favorite UM-themed prizes, and Alice Hsu was the event photographer. Eve Lai served as the manager of the event, as she ensures productivity of all students and that they are meeting the expectations of PREP.

Chief brand & marketing strategy officer of SapientRazorfish, Daz McColl, was the guest speaker at the PRADDY Awards. He spoke about the meaning of being a creative in the modern world, and provided insights and his personal tips to the audience of students. SapientRazorfish is the primary sponsor for the PRADDY Awards.  

“One of the primary reasons that the PRADDY Awards run so smoothly is because the PREP students, under the direction of Dr. Scott, are there every step of the way, taking care of all the little details and making sure that everything that needs to be done is done on time and is done right,” says Alyse Lancaster, chair of the Department of Strategic Communication. “Having the PREP team there to manage the details allows the faculty members who are running the event to concentrate on the more large-scale elements. Together, that symbiosis is what makes the PRADDY Awards such a wonderful, well-run event.”

For a full list of entries and winners visit www.praddys.com. Photos of the event are posted at https://www.facebook.com/pg/UMSoC/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156460126018395.

Alice Hsu is a PREP student and a junior majoring in Public Relations and Advertising.