Upon coming to campus in her first year at Newhouse, Riva Goldberg ’20 knew immediately that public relations was the right place for her.
“PR is such an applicable career, so if there’s something you’re interested in, there’s a PR position for it,” she says.
By the end of her first semester, she was already working at Hill Communications, Syracuse University’s student-run public relations firm.
“I started as an intern, and then I was an account associate, then an account executive, an account supervisor. My senior year I was the firm director,” says Goldberg. “That’s one of the most formative parts of my Newhouse education was getting this hands-on experience.”
Part of that formative experience was learning how to run a firm during a global crisis.
“Students had just been told that the rest of the semester was going remote and we had to figure out a way to continue servicing our clients and finish out our contracts,” Goldberg says, nothing the challenges inherent in trying to meet the needs of both her student team and their clients. “This experience taught me so much about what it means to be a good partner to clients and that doing the right thing is way more important than the money.”
During this time, Goldberg also held a PR position for Dance Works, a university dance group. “Any passion you have needs PR. Whether that’s a sports team, a film club, anything on campus, you can just offer your skills and get practice.”
Now an account associate at W2O Group, Goldberg advises current students to make the most of the opportunities available to them.
“Newhouse has been bringing in such incredible speakers, so take that opportunity,” she says. “If you really like what a speaker is saying, network with them. Whether you’re in PRSSA, whether you’re in Hill Comm, just take those opportunities. There are so many of them in Newhouse.”