Members of Arcadia’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) attended the 2025 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) ICON conference, where they were recognized for earning the Star Chapter Award earlier this year.

From Oct. 28-30, Chapter co-presidents Jennifer Coulibaly ’26 and Shaughn Williams ’26, along with Challan Kligman ’27, Karissa Kujawa ’26, and Leah Sierra ’26, joined Assistant Professor of Media and Communication Dr. Chris Mullin for the trip down to the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., for the conference.

The annual ICON conference brings together industry leaders and students from across the country for three days of professional development opportunities.

“I hope that the students can network and make connections with PR professionals and other PR students from across the country,” Mullin said before they left. “I also hope they can learn about the many facets of the public relations industry. There are many sessions offered, including ones on AI use in PR, marketing, visual storytelling, sports communication, and a lot more.”

Throughout the conference, attendees participated in keynote sessions, breakout discussions, and workshops led by experts in the field, gaining insights into emerging trends and best practices shaping the future of communication.

“Attending this conference with my peers was a great experience,” Williams said. “When struggling to approach people at the conference, I would get over this mental hurdle by understanding that everyone is here to network and learn, and so there was nothing to worry about. Interacting with others in the PR field also gave us insight as to what else we could do to benefit our department and have it grow bigger than ever before!”

Williams also emphasized how this experience reflected the growth of Arcadia’s PRSSA chapter.

“This recognition is amazing for Arcadia’s PRSSA chapter,” he said. “Now that we are an officially recognized star chapter, we have much more of a physical presence within the world of PR, which can help the department do many cooler things in the future.

“Opportunities like this conference are important for students to take advantage of, as they allow for a completely unique experience not only in networking but in meeting professionals within your field you may have never otherwise interacted with.”