Unexpected #HAPPO Help

I opened up my blog for a guest post in the hopes of featuring a college senior about to graduate for the 2nd edition of Help a PR Pro Out (HAPPO). I have been communicating with and invited Kathelin (Kat) Buxton, UTA PRSSA President, to share some insights here on why employers should hire her. However, she sort of turned down the offer and turned things around. What resulted was a wonderful example of PR advocacy:

Kathelin wrote to me and explained why she was turning down my blog feature offer:

I have been fortunate these past few weeks to have been presented with more than a handful of interviews and one or two job offers that I thought it would be better suited to field this blog post opportunity to another PR pro who needs a hand.Below a blog post that Elizabeth Flores wrote, a fellow soon to be graduate and highly underrated individual. She played a pivotal role in the UTA Bateman case study team, and was part of our group that presented at the last PRSSA meeting. She is very dedicated and a hard worker but has not had the opportunity to immerse herself in the world of PR as I have due to other extenuating circumstances and a few too many curve balls thrown her way. I'm sorry if this is not what you had in mind, but what good am I as a PR pro if I can't be an advocate...[emphasis added]

So with that, here is the HAPPO guest post featuring Elizabeth Flores:
Elizabeth E. Flores | @isabella026

Mountain climbing might be considered an extreme sport, but it has become my passion over the past few years. More so this past year as I prepare to reach one of the highest mountains tops I have worked hard to conquer. In two weeks, I will have reached my Mt. Kilimanjaro and be the first in a large family to graduate from college. Despite many obstacles that could have prevented the climb, I hurdled the odds and reached the top.

As I try to make my way into the workforce, I know many employers will ask why her? out of the many other promising recent graduates, who might have more experience. There are three rules I came across and embraced to drive myself to success:

1. Know what to expect and expect the unexpected;
2. Be Accountable; and
3. Stay Motivated.

I didn’t have the opportunity to have the best internships to get valuable experience because a full-time school load and job took most of my time. However, by being resourceful I took as many opportunities as I could to get experience through class work, school organizations and professional events.

Success to me is not just about the end result; it is about the journey taken and lessons learned. I can’t and won’t promise perfection, that’s not what I learned in college. What I learned throughout my experience was to work hard for what you want and always strive for the best. What I will bring to the table is a foundation to build real world experiences. My foundation is the core of what will help me contribute to my future employers success. I am proud to say that my foundation consists of integrity, ambition, perseverance, leadership, self-discipline and a competitive and positive perspective. Lastly is determination to always continue my personal and professional development.
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I appreciate Kat sharing this opportunity to a fellow PR major and I am impressed with the will and determination by Elizabeth. I expect to see good things from these two and others who are applying themselves to our industry.

Related HAPPO posts

• Jenn Bollenbacher – #HAPPO
• Mariam Shahab – It's HAPPO-ning
• #HAPPO advice for 2010 Grads/job seekers
• Best advice for a college grad?
• Job-Hunting Lessons from #PRStudChat