When Jaelyn Jennings committed to Temple in 2021, she was taking a leap of faith. She had never toured campus and was coming in undeclared to the Fox School of Business. After one meeting at the Public Relations Students Society of America, Jennings felt confident knowing public relations was her dream career path.
“At that time I had an idea of what I wanted to do, I wanted to be a professional singer,” Jennings said. “I didn’t want to put that completely on the back burner. I was still very interested in music, and ever since the meeting, I just loved PR.”
Jennings has thrived in the public relations field ever since. She’s worked on the executive board of several student organizations, including WHIP Radio, PRSSA, PRowl and Dare2Dance.
Her efforts paid off this July when she received the Geoffrey M. Curtis Scholarship, a $10,000 award that recognizes rising juniors or senior Black, Indigenous and People of Color students in PRSSA chapters nationwide. The scholarship is only awarded to three students across the nation each year.
Jennings found out about the scholarship through her involvement in PRSSA. After she considered applying, she realized she had interviewed the first winner of the scholarship just two years before.
She applied on a whim and was completely surprised when she learned she won six months later.
“It was like winning the lottery,” Jennings said. “I had no luck with getting scholarships and I was getting to the point where I was feeling really defeated. I applied, thought nothing of it, and then got the acceptance a few months later.”
Receiving the scholarship opened up a new world of opportunity for Jennings. After transitioning from living in a small Pittsburgh suburb to Temple’s sprawling urban campus, her confidence skyrocketed and she secured an internship in New York City at Republic Records and Universal music group.
“I love New York,” Jennings said. “The actual internship itself, it’s everything that I really imagined. There were speaker sessions so I was able to talk with these VPs of media, the founders of Republic Records, they walked by my desk like every single day– I could go on and on about the PR professors, they are all sweethearts and they all just want us to succeed as PR professionals.”
Jennings’ impact hasn’t just been felt in New York. Her tenacity and skills are clear to faculty here at Temple as well, who are full of praise for her work.
Steve Ryan, a public relations professor who has taught Jennings for two years, couldn’t hide his smile when he found out Jennings was awarded the PRSSA scholarship.
“When I saw that she had received this award, I was not at all surprised,” Ryan said. “My reaction was ‘of course she did’. She’s truly deserving of the recognition.”
Other faculty echo similar sentiments. Gregg Feistman, assistant chair of public relations, also serves as the advisor to PRSSA.
After working closely with Jennings, he has no doubt she deserves recognition for her achievements
“I’ve known her in two capacities,” Feistman said. “And I can’t say enough good things about her. She’s terrific; she’s really smart, she understands the nature of the work, she understands the need for deadlines, she’s very engaged in classes, which as a professor I look for in students.”
Jennings plans on pursuing her relationships with individuals she had met at her internship during the summer. She hopes to continue and further her work in the music industry after she graduates.
As for the here and now, Jennings wants to make the most of her last two semesters as a college student by engaging with the groups that have made her time at Temple special to her.
“I want to soak up the moments I have with the clubs I am in,” Jennings said. “We get so busy, we are full time students. I’m still having fun. I just want to make sure I am not super worried about the future to the point where I am not indulging in these small moments I have.”
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