By: Katie Burns
The feelings of apprehension and excitement are growing among Baylor seniors as graduation day approaches. Some are sad to leave Baylor. Some are nervous to face the real world. Some are feeling the intense pressure that accompanies the job hunt.
For Chelsi Patterson, a senior public relations major, graduation represents the start of a new adventure and a new job at an international company
Patterson has been extremely involved in Baylor academics and student life since her freshman year. Besides maintaining a high GPA, she as taken on many leadership roles, serving as SING chair and philanthropy chair in the Tri Delta sorority and excelling on the Student Production Committee, the student group that produces SING. Patterson also works part-time in the journalism department and interns at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
“I’ve always been dedicated to doing well in school,” Patterson explains.
Because of the tremendous work ethic she developed through her activities, it was a natural decision for Patterson to begin the job search early.
“I was always very aggressive about looking on the different websites that were specifically for public relations or communications jobs,” she said.
When Patterson found a job listing for a communications strategist at the international interior design firm Wilson Associates, she began researching the position to see if it was a good fit.
“After looking at the requirements, I fell in love with the job,” she said.
Like many applicants, Patterson submitted her resume the day the job was posted, and called a few days later to follow up. She discovered she was one out of hundreds of resumes the company had received. Instead of becoming discouraged, she asked if she could tell the communications director a little about herself over the phone.
This conversation became a phone interview, which led to several meetings and an interview with the company’s CEO. Patterson said she prayed she would be able to demonstrate her determination and work ethic through the interviews.
“It was a little intimidating because the CEO has seven office around the world that she manages,” Patterson said. “But it was really fun, and I ended up getting the job!”
After graduation, Patterson will move to Dallas to begin her career at Wilson Associates. She will not only be doing public relations work for the company, but also for its non-profit organization, the Wilson Foundation, which focuses on health and education in South Africa.
“That will be fun because I’ve done non-profit work with my sorority’s philanthropy,” she said.
Patterson feels very blessed to have found a great job in today’s job market. “It’s very humbling,” she said. “It’s nice to know I have something to move forward with.”
