PRSSA 2008-2009 Officer Biographies

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President: Amy Graham

My name is Amy Graham and I am President of the UW PRSSA chapter. I was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington where I graduated from Wilson High School.

I am a junior studying Communications at the University of Washington. I have been actively studying public relations and look forward to obtaining multiple internships this coming year.

I currently work with event planners at Waterway's Cruises and Events and am also the PR Chair for Kappa Delta sorority. I am a very ambitious, fun-loving and hardworking individual and I value my goals, friends and family to the highest extent.

In my free time I have a passion for performing, I enjoy sports, being outdoors and spending time with the people I love. I am excited for the 2008/2009 school year and to see the progress PRSSA makes.

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Vice President: Megan Petty

My name is Megan Petty and I am Vice President of the UW PRSSA chapter. I graduated from Inglemoor High School in Bothell and currently plan on double majoring in Communications and Economics.

I am an active member of the Kappa Delta sorority and hold a position for public relations there.

Also, I enjoy being around my family and friends and I plan on traveling after college. I think PRSSA is a great way to learn about public relations and am glad to be a part of this communications network.

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Secretary: Candace Soohoo

Currently, I am a senior Communications major and am very excited to graduate in June 2009. I hold an intern position in the entertainment area of public relations and am eager to explore the other areas of public relations. As Secretary, I take down meeting notes, create memos, and ensure that information is recorded.

In addition to PRSSA, I am also involved in the Sigma Alpha Lambda Honor Society and Alpha Delta Pi as the Assistant Recruitment Information Manager.

I love to travel and to explore different cultures and countries. In my free time, I enjoy coordinating events, hot yoga, dancing, going out with friends or just relaxing with "Sex and the City."

I plan on pursuing a career in public relations, primarily focusing on event planning or working for a non-profit organization.

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Treasurer: Angela Wilkins

My name is Angie Wilkins and I am a sophomore at the University of Washington. I am pursuing a Communications major and am also very interested in Economics.

I am originally from Spokane, but have fallen in love with Seattle. While school takes up a lot of my time, I work as an e-mail customer service specialist for Innovyx Digital Marketing Solutions and am heavily involved as a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.

I'm ambitious, I love to have fun, but live on a mentality that I have to work very hard if I want to play hard. I love spending as much time as I can with my family and friends and I am especially excited about the direction and goals that I am currently pursuing.

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Vice President of Membership: Michelle Tanaka

My name is Michelle Tanaka and I am currently a junior studying Journalism and English. I was born and raised in Cupertino, CA. For PRSSA, I am VP of Membership and I oversee new and former membership inquiries.

Here, I have interned for Seattle Homes and Lifestyle Magazine and am currently writing for the University of Washington's campus newspaper The Daily.

After college I plan on pursuing a career in print media or public relations. I enjoy hiking, skiing, and going to the beach. This fall I will be studying in Paris with the Comparative Literature Department. I'm excited to travel and to be able to explore new cities in between my classes.

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Publicity Chair: Kripa Kandiar

I'm a sophomore here at the University of Washington and am majoring in Communications with a focus on marketing and public relations. For PRSSA, I create awareness for PRSSA events and promote event attendance. I have a strong interest in the Spanish culture and plan on utilizing this through a studying abroad trip next winter quarter.

I have been involved in a part time sales internship, where I have gained public relations experience by putting together presentations and promoting products.

I have also been actively involved in my sorority through event planning. I am a very social person and love working with other people. I plan on going into event planning as a career after graduating.

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Communications: Faith Yi

As head of Communications for PRSSA, I make sure that I answer all inquiries regarding PRSSA and communicate with speakers, PRSA officials, teachers, and other publics. I am currently a senior who's double majoring in Communications and Anthropology (I watched too many Indiana Jones movies as a kid). I've been a marketing intern for Borders Books as well as a Dean's List student for two years.

In Winter 2009, I am studying abroad in Italy through the Communication Department's Rome Program. Forgoing sleep, I like cooking, filling up my sketchbook, and consider trampoline jumping a perfectly acceptable form of exercise.

I hope to eventually move into my hometown of New York and become active in the entertainment world with the public relations skills I'll learn at UW.

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Historian: Katie McElroy

I will be a junior this coming fall quarter and am currently pursuing a double major in Communications and Spanish. My area of focus will be in public relations or marketing.

As Historian, I prevent clutter by holding on to all fliers, brochures, and other important documents. I also take pictures of our meetings and other activities our chapter is involved in. At the end of the year, I put all these pictures and papers together to create an awesome scrapbook for our chapter.

Next spring semester I am going to study abroad in Barcelona, in the hopes of becoming bilingual. After college, I plan on staying in Seattle and working before going back to school to attain a Masters in Communication.

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Web Editor: Lisa Wong

As the Web Editor, I designed and developed the website and update content on a regular basis. I am a senior finishing up my Communications major and plan on pursuing a career in the public relations or advertising field.

Currently, I am a copywriting intern at graphic design and branding firm Eben Design in Green Lake. My internship there has given me a lot of writing opportunities including newsletters, portfolio content, Save the Dates, and other material. In the next year, I hope to strengthen my writing skills even more.

Outside of school, I work part-time at a retail job, hang out with friends and family, and enjoy web and graphic design. I love writing, watching Law and Order, and reading Seattle Times, The New York Times, and magazines such as Wired.

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Fundraising Chair: Ailyne Halim

My name is Ailyne Halim and I am head of the Fundraising Chair. I am in charge of promoting new events to increase funding for PRSSA and organize fundraising events. I am a junior majoring in Communications and Business (Marketing). I am interested in working in the PR or advertising industry in the future.

I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia but spent most of my childhood in Singapore. I moved to Seattle 2 years ago to attend UW.

While school takes up most of my time, I spend any free time I have hanging out with friends or running with my dog. I am excited to learn more about the PR industry and meeting new people in PRSSA.

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Internship Chair: Zachary Buck

Currently, I'm in my senior year at University of Washington and majoring in Communications. Specifially, I hope to concentrate on Crisis Management and Public Relations.

I love to compete in any form of sport and am a nationally ranked triathlete. I am also the Vice President of the UW Triathlon Club. Other than training and competing, I love to cook and being out on my boat wakeboarding and tubing.

I hope to further the PRSSA network within the Public Relations community and to learn as much as I can about the industry before I graduates this Spring.

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Correspondence: Kendra Hall

My name is Kendra Hall and I am the Correspondence Chair for UW’s PRSSA Chapter. I oversee media inquiries and answer questions regarding PRSSA.

I am originally from Olympia, Washington and am starting my junior year at UW in the fall. Double majoring in Communications and Italian studies, I love meeting and talking with new people (especially in Italian!).

I studied abroad in Rome and am dying for the opportunity to go back to Italy. I am interning with the Seattle Mariners during the upcoming school year and hope to work as a Community Relations Director for a professional sports team after graduation.

I couldn’t live without peppermint mochas, the amazing girls I live with, and sunny weekends at Golden Gardens!

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Meetings & Events

On Vacation: The quarter's over. PRSSA of UW will be seeing you all next year. Stay tuned for Web updates throughout the summer.

Our Advisors


  • Educational Advisor: Kathleen Fearn-Banks
  • Professional Advisor: Rita Brautigam
  • Professional Advisor: Kauilani Ostrem