Today we feature senior Nene Diallo, a Public Relations student with a minor in International Relations who is originally from Guinea, West Africa but currently resides in Sicklerville, New Jersey (Camden County). Nene discusses with us the perks of her major and plans for her future after graduating.
Why did you choose your major?
I love interacting with different people, and that is basically the public relations major. I feel like I can learn alot about different mindsets and ideas. I like the environment. It’s creative and not a one-track thing. There are a lot of opportunities in the field and various paths for interaction. This is also why I added on the International Relations minor. I get to interact with different people who are outside of my country and culture.
Why did you choose Rowan?
Well, Rowan’s close to home. My guidance counselor actually recommended it to me. Most of my teachers from high school graduated from Rowan and they told me how good the school was so I said, “Ok, I’ll give it a try.” Plus, its location allows me to easily go to school and work at the same time.
On your busiest day, what academic, non-academic and social responsibilities are you juggling?
So I’m usually doing schoolwork, going to work, and/or doing chores around the house. I wake up around 9 a.m., eat breakfast and clean up the house before heading off to school. I have work around 3 p.m. and my shifts can last either six to eight hours and I’m on my feet the majority of the time. Then I have to find a time between work and school to figure out when to do my homework, but I usually end up doing it when I get home from work around midnight. Then, I go to sleep and wake up to do the same thing over again.
Did you ever have a moment of uncertainty within your major? How did you get through the challenge?
I once got this assignment from this professor that was super frustrating. I usually don’t like not completing my schoolwork but when I’m frustrated I sometimes give up on it. There was a 10-page essay that needed to be done that required citations from the course textbook, but I forgot to buy the textbook. I was debating whether or not I should complete the assignment. I really care about my grade but I was so frustrated, which caused me to wait until the last minute to complete the assignment even though it was given a month before. I still didn’t have the book to do the citation after putting off buying it to the point of forgetting about it entirely. I wasn’t sure what to do. But, eventually, I decided anything was better than a zero, did the assignment, and ended up with a C. That was like the final project of the class and worth most points. Getting a lower grade on it dropped my grade from an A to a C. It was really bad, but I got through it.
What’s something people wouldn’t expect to know about you?
I’m not gonna lie, despite being a Public Relations major I can also be anti-social. Just because I enjoy interacting with different people doesn’t mean I want to do it 24/7. I have a social battery. I’m pretty sure a lot of people do. It’s like I can talk to people for a certain amount of time and genuinely enjoy it, but then I want to go home and just be in my room.
What would you share with a future student interested in your major?
I would definitely say to seek help especially from your professor and upperclassmen. Doing that really helped me and allowed me to get different opportunities at Rowan that I wouldn’t have known anything about. Asking questions can lead you somewhere that you didn’t know you needed to go. Nobody’s perfect. We’re humans. Sometimes, we need help from other people in our field. Don’t feel like you need to figure things out on your own. Also, get involved in different clubs and activities. Like I said, I’m a pretty busy person, but I still find the time to be involved on campus. It helps you make connections.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself as someone who is in the Public Relations field … like coordinator or manager. I can start out small. That’s perfectly fine with me, but I definitely see myself being a part of an organization that is a comfortable environment to work in that I’m hopefully happy to work in. I see myself financially stable and surrounded with lots of love and happiness. I know it’s not going to be a fairytale and that there’ll be problems and issues, but I hope that I’ll be able to face any challenge that is thrown at me.
Like what you see?
Story by:
Bianca Gray, English major
Photos by:
Stephanie Batista, junior music industry major
