7 PRSSA SDSU Students Attend ICON 2025
Where can new professionals get advice directly from icons like the “Gilmore Girls” Loreali and a former vice president’s speechwriter? That is what this year’s Public Relations Student Society of America’s ICON conference offered, and the Broom Center funded seven SDSU PRSSA members to travel to Washington, D.C. for the annual event.
ICON brings together students and professionals from across the PR industry . The three-day conference is filled with networking opportunities and features expert-led sessions.
Taking center stage, keynote speaker Lauren Graham from “Gilmore Girls” fame, inspired students with a message of finding joy in the story you are living right now. Having served as producer for that hit show and later authoring three novels, Graham knows a good story.
“Hearing Graham speak about storytelling reminded me why I became interested in public relations in the first place,” said SDSU attendee Annaly Sanchez. “Public relations is about telling a story in a way that connects with people and makes them care about the message. The story of Lorelai and Rory did that perfectly.”
The students were also able to watch the presentation of the first ever Glen Broom Mentorship Award. Scott Pansky, co-founder of Allison Worldwide, created and funded this award in honor and memory of his mentor, Dr. Glen Broom. It acknowledges the incredible impact Dr. Broom had on our profession through education and mentorship.
Donald K. Wright received the honor for his outstanding contributions.
The students attended sessions on topics ranging from crisis management to the growing impact of artificial intelligence in communications.
A standout session was with Steven Kelly, the former chief speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris. Kelly emphasized the importance of engaging directly with your audience to understand their perspectives and what truly matters to them.
“Go to the source, talk to them, and then reflect what they actually care about in your speech or in your writing,” said Kelly.
Another noteworthy session was with Heathere Evans, who talked to the attendees about leading with full intelligence from our brain, gut and heart.
“Evans’ session was a great reminder that attacking a public relations situation takes more than just strategy. You also need intuition and empathy to make the right decisions.” said SDSU attendee Janae Chiu.
This experience will shape the students’ growth as future public relations professionals and leave a lasting impact on their professional journeys.
