Long Beach Goes International
My Experience at the 2025 PRSSA Leadership Assembly
Friends I made during the Assembly at the Charlotte Nascar Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: Nascar
The Public Relations Student Society of America has played a valuable role in my professional development. One key opportunity it brought was to attend the 2025 Leadership Assembly in Charlotte, North Carolina from March 6-8. The Leadership Assembly is meant to provide a networking space for current and incoming chapter leaders across all PRSSA chapters, and to vote on the incoming PRSSA International Committee.
Attending the Leadership Assembly this year was extremely nerve-wracking for me. I was flying the farthest I’ve ever flown without any parental supervision. I was staying in a hotel room by myself, which I have never done before. I was also running for a spot on the International Committee, which is the highest level within the organization a student can hold. I had already reviewed the other highly qualified people that were running the Committee and was feeling a bit of imposter syndrome.
There are ten student positions on the International Committee and two professional positions. I ran for the Vice President of Member Services, as I felt my experience could best translate to this role in the International Committee. To prepare, I thoroughly researched the role and its responsibilities, I spoke with the current VP of Member Services and the Immediate Past President, and read all the documents I could find on the role descriptions. I found and studied the 2025 situation analysis, as well as their voting procedures. I may have been a bit too prepared. To apply, I filled out a candidate nomination form, wrote an essay, submitted a letter of recommendation, and recorded a short video. I put a lot of effort into the application and even checked who else was applying to the committee, just to see who I might be working with.
When I landed a day early in Charlotte, I was panicking. I’d never been to a Leadership Assembly before and had no idea what to expect, or how to conduct myself with the other students there. Every hour I checked the agenda to make sure I knew when and where each event was.
Our first event grouped PRSSA chapters by size, where we held a discussion comparing how each chapter functions. It was extremely validating to hear that other chapters across the country were succeeding at and struggling with the same things that PRSSA LB is. We were able to share tips and tricks, and I was introduced to a couple of ideas that can be implemented here. Through that conversation, we all recognized that attending the Leadership Assembly this year was giving us a chance to network with our peers and to find community in the most driven students in the country. Every single person I met was so passionate about their chapter and had amazing goals for themselves. It was incredible to be a part of.
Dinner that night was hosted by Milagros Orcoyen, the National President. She spoke with Ray Day, the PRSA Board of Directors 2025 Chair, Vice Chair at Stagwell and Executive Chair at Allison Worldwide. He shared these ten pieces of advice:
Create to tell stories.
Love or leave what you do.
Be of the news, not in the news.
Writing is not sold separately.
Compete with competition, not colleagues.
Change is certain.
Never stop learning.
Stand up for ethics and integrity.
Have people know your name, not your title.
Pass the baton to future generations.
David Grossman with the winners of his random giveaway. Photo Credit: Unknown
During this dinner, one of the sponsors of the event, David Grossman, CEO of the Grossman Group, led a ten-minute workshop on how to navigate worry. He then randomly selected eight lucky students to be awarded $1,000 each, with the instructions to “pay it forward.” I was one of those lucky individuals, and I was stunned.
The second day was election day. I could barely eat or sleep. When it came time for the four candidates to present their platforms for the Vice President of Member Services, I grabbed my emotional support Hydro Flask and dragged my unresponsive body to the front of a 90-person room. We were asked questions regarding platform expansion, awards, scholarships, engagement and new member recruitment. Thanks to all of the research I had done before, despite not knowing what questions I was going to be asked, I was able to succinctly describe what I planned to do within the role and how to implement it. I felt that I had the best knowledge of the position, which really helped me stand out as a candidate. My position’s first round of voting ended in a three-way runoff, and each of us was offered one final minute to explain why we should be elected. I shared my background, my achievements at the local level, and how I helped create a good foundation for PRSSA LB to continue without my leadership. I restated that I was ready for the next step and ready to move to the International Committee to help other chapters do what I started with PRSSA LB. I won the position, and was elected to serve with seven other incredible individuals:
National President: Alicia Caracciolo, University of South Carolina
Immediate Past President: Milagros Orcoyen, Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE)
Vice President of Belonging, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: Aniketh Koneru, University of Oklahoma
Vice President of Brand Engagement: Madeline Emerick, Ohio Northern University
Vice President of Career Services: Uyen Ngo, Purdue University
Vice President of Chapter Development: Teo Ignacio Landoni, Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE)
Vice President of Digital Communications: Ally Guerra, California State University, Fullerton
Vice President, Events and Fundraising: Cheryl Lai, Boston University
Vice President of Members Services: Morgan Milobar, California State University, Long Beach
Vice President of Professional Standards: Talia Sinclair, Purdue University
Myself with the 2024-25 Vice President of Member Services, Emily Vasquez. Photo Credit: Ken Hagihara
Myself with the newly elected 2025-2026 International Committee. Photo Credit: Unknown
To celebrate the stressful part of the weekend ending, many of us went to 16-Bit Bar + Arcade. It was so fun to interact with everyone outside of the professional setting of conference rooms and ballrooms. Having a bonding experience outside of the assembly was integral to building our genuine connections, because we all decided to truly make a point to get to know each other.
The final day of the 2025 PRSSA Leadership Assembly featured two speakers who imparted their wisdom on the members of the assembly. Cheron Porter, M.A., APR, the executive vice president for corporate communications for INLIVIAN, spoke about leadership and how to navigate mistakes when in a position that people depend on. Jessica M. Graham, APR, Fellow PRSA, the founder & CEO of Fionix Consulting LLC, shared her tips on community engagement and its importance for all individuals, not just public relations professionals.
After the assembly ended, a group of us went to the Charlotte Nascar Hall of Fame. I know nothing about cars, the origins of Nascar or its iconic racers, but we all had an amazing time. However, I was ready to go home and I started working on my platform draft as soon as I got on the plane back to Long Beach.
I am truly grateful to have been elected to my new position within PRSSA, and I would not dream of letting down the individuals who put their trust in me to fulfill this position. Attending the assembly was a new and inspiring experience. I’m so glad I became close to students across the country, heard from knowledgeable leadership development speakers, and participated in the selection of the International Committee. I highly encourage each student interested in public relations to make the decision to get involved with their university chapter or with the International Committee. The opportunities and benefits that I have taken advantage of have truly changed my life, and I’m so happy I made that decision long ago.
Morgan Milobar
Public Relations Major, Marketing Minor, Fall 2025
