By Isabel Allain
On August 5, RLF’s very own Brianna Gillard graduated from Georgetown University with a master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications.
Originally from Miami, Gillard received a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising from Miami International University of Art and Design. Although she still has a passion for fashion, Gillard realized after graduation that she wanted to go into communications instead.
“I never got a traditional PR education, so I really wanted to go back to school to learn more about the profession,” she said.
Over the past two years, Gillard has excelled professionally while simultaneously working towards her academic goals. Although juggling these two commitments was stressful at some points, she tried to get the most out of each experience. For example, she was able to observe how the theoretical information that she was learning in classes came to life in the work she was doing.
“Working at RLF gave me that ‘ah-hah’ moment,” Gillard said. “I was able to apply what I was learning in class about internal communications to my work here and use my experience working on crisis communications at RLF in class.”
The program’s capstone project was another one of Gillard’s greatest learning experiences. She chose a client and created a communications plan from start to finish. Being interested in higher education communication, she selected Forsyth Tech’s Dental Hygiene Program as her client.
“The capstone project was something that I could really own,” she said. “I started from the bare bones and worked to build out a full, robust communications plan.”
The classes Gillard took within her master’s program have allowed her to become more confident in her position and excited about her future at RLF Communications.
Congratulations Brianna!