Meet the Minis

(Blog written by Tower’s Minis and Friends Account Execs, edited by the good people at Minis and Friends)

“Once you have your moment, you’re in trouble,” Sally Iwanski said with caution.

While Sally’s husband thought her crazy to want to invest so much into co-founding Minis and Friends, she remained unwavering on her persistence to make equine guided interactions (EGI) therapy available to those in need.

Fact: Minis and Friends was founded in 2007

Her husband too would share the same passion, but not until he had his “moment.” This moment Sally said can occur at any time during an individual’s involvement with the program.

For her husband, it took place during a parade where the owners of some Minis were showcasing the horses. Sally’s husband was leading MasterCard, one of three Minis they own.

Fact: there are 17 Minis in the program, each owned privately by individuals in the greater Austin Metro area. Each owner volunteers their time to take their horses to different functions.

Veering out of formation MasterCard led Sally’s husband up to one individual sitting in a wheel chair, whom they learned was in fact blind.

Fact: the non profit tailors programs and activities for all ages with disabilities and helps improve their health/wellness conditions through interaction with miniature horses.

Caught a little off guard as MasterCard placed his head in the man’s lap, he asked if he was petting a dog! When informed it was a mini-horse, Sally had arrived and asked the man if he wanted to pet MasterCard, which he did.  As the man’s hand brushed Mastercard’s mane it’s as if the man’s eyes lit up and he was able to see!

Taken aback, Sally’s husband became emotionally invested at this moment, seeing how the simple impression of a mini could make a difference.

Fact: not only does Minis and Friends use their expertise to serve those in need but they also run a Mini Boot Camp to train other Mini owners to be able to do the same.

Just like Sally’s husband and many others, our account members working on the Minis and Friends account were able to volunteer and experience firsthand the minis in action.

Two weeks ago at Helping Hand Home children were given time with the minis, walking the minis around and brushing their manes, smiles shone across their faces. Then, the following week at Southwood Care Center with the elderly helping to brighten their moods and time in rehabilitation.

How the simple impression of a mini could make a difference.

Fact: Last year alone Minis and Friends made 100 visits across Central Texas to serve youth and adults in need of a little inspiration and love form the minis.

These two visits have demonstrated to us how passionate and devoted the Minis and Friends team members are to helping others through equestrian therapy, and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with them now on their most recent endeavor of raising money through Amplify Austin. If you would like to know more about how to support Minis and Friends, please visit the website for I Live Here, I Give Here and you’ll find Minis and Friends listed under the child and youth nonprofit category!

Also you can find more general information about Meet the Minis on their webpage and learn more about the programs and services they offer!

Take time to meet the Minis, because like Sally shared with us, without these little horse there would be no Minis and Friends!

Since 2007, the non profit has recruited people with minis and dedicated volunteers have become mini-owners. These owners and their horse have dedicated time to work in the community on weekends and some holidays. To date there are:

• 7 mini-owners and minis in Austin (Bravo, MasterCard, Remington, Rocky, Rudy and SeanMonet),
• Cedar Creek (Jax and Koda),
• Dripping Springs (Nemo, Spirit and Xarrow),
• Round Rock (Lewis and Rocky)
• Wimberley (Tator Tot, Tiny Tim and Trigger Treat).

If you don’t have a mini but would like to be involved:

• Volunteer Gathering workshops entail 2 hours of hands-on training with requirements of 2 visits per month per volunteer.  You can join them by visiting Volunteer Match, Hands on Texas (United Way) or our own UT Volunteers VLSC.

Member Spotlight: Linda Huang

Texas Tower PR’s member spotlight of the month is PR Officer Linda Huang.

Linda is a senior public relations major who will be graduating in May 2013. In addition to her position as PR Officer, Linda has served as Creative Action Account Executive. In fact, she still keeps up with Tower’s Creative Action team to offer insight and advice to the new executives – that’s dedication!

When asked her opinion of Tower, she said, “Tower is a great building block for everyone to gain valuable PR experience. Also, you can learn from everyone’s unique experiences. Practically all my internships have been through networks I’ve made through Tower.”

She is currently serving as PR Intern at Fleishman Hillard and has previously interned at I&O Communications and POM PR.

This semester she hopes to find the perfect balance between work, school and friends by managing her time more wisely.

While she’s still trying to figure out post-graduation plans, her top choices are to either move to LA, get her MBA or take some time off to study abroad.

No matter what she does, we know she’ll be amazing!

(Want to know a fun fact about Linda? She has a weird fascination with Law & Order: SVU marathons – she loses time watching them without even realizing it.)

Springing into the Semester

Last week was Texas Tower Public Relation’s first meeting of the spring semester. All 40+ of our members crowded into The University of Texas at Austin’s brand new CLA building to get to know each other and start working for the fabulous organizations that we partner with.

This semester, we were lucky enough to have four of our previous clients return. We are excited to continue working with the UT Career Services, Teatro Vivo, Creative Action and Candlelight Ranch organizations. We also added two new clients this semester and are so very thankful that Minis and Friends and Cancer Support Community of Central Texas have agreed to work with us.

Since we’ve shaken up our client list, we’ve also shaken up our teams. Check out the account execs and associates for each client for this semester:

Cancer Support Community of Central Texas
Account Executives: Kathleen Hersey and Vi Tran
Account Associates: Reema Bounajem, Rebecca Hoffman, Erin Hopkins, Ellen Lobb, Samantha Subar

Candlelight Ranch
Account Executives: Aparna Kumar and Saumya Wali
Account Associates: Devin Duncan, Ryan Gardner, Emily Jenkins, Elizabeth Rubio

Creative Action
Account Executives: Nathan Boone and Aly Kasberg
Account Associates: Michelle Blam, James Egger, Austin Malcolm, Paige Velasquez

Minis and Friends
Account Executives: Katie Doan and Meg Weiss
Account Associates: Alyssa Eli, Yanelis Garcia, Helen Hansen, Landon Horan, Vanessa Rodriguez 

Teatro Vivo
Account Executives: Claudia Resendez and Hugo Rojo
Account Associates: Marisol Canales, Hayley Fick, Amanda Leach, Patrick Mackie, Monica Rodriguez

UT Career Services
Account Executives: Ashley Buenrostro and Marnie Lemonik
Account Associates: Christina Florey, Alexandria Vandiver

Congratulations to our new members and welcome back to our veterans! We know that this will be an excellent semester!

Inside Texas Tower PR: Members’ Perspectives

Texas Tower Public Relations is the only student-run PR firm at The University of Texas at Austin and is affiliated with UT-Austin’s Dr. Alan Scott Chapter of The Public Relations Student Society of America. Tower provides students with an opportunity to get real life, hands-on experience by working with actual clients.

The members of Tower come from many different majors and have varied interests and goals. These students range from freshman to seniors and have different levels of experience. The one thing that they all have in common is their passion for PR.

Check out what these Tower members have to say about the organization.

“I have been in Tower for three years, and it has been a great time. It’s inspiring and motivating to meet with a group of young professionals who are eager to learn PR, but also enjoy playing a game of Catch Phrase.” – Emily Watkins, Director

“My favorite thing about Tower is knowing that I can always count on the older and wiser members to give advice on anything ranging from academic to professional; it’s nice to have a great support system that doesn’t judge based on skill level. I guess overall, I’ve learned how to write better, pitch better, and that success comes with a lot of trials and errors.” – Vi Tran, Account Executive

“Even though I have only been in Tower for a short time I have already seen the benefits of the organization. Every single person in Tower is dedicated to the organization and their love for it shows. The workshops are extremely helpful and I have learned a lot from how to be a better interviewee to how to perfect my resume. However, the most important thing I have learned from Tower is how to be a good team member. Working with a team of amazing students has taught me a lot about myself and that when I work with others we can accomplish much more than I can alone.” – Katie Doan, Account Executive

“When I joined Tower I had relatively little hands-on PR experience. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to interact with a real client and to create change for their brand. Also, we work with nonprofits which is a major bonus for me since I plan to specialize in that sector of the field. The fact that I’ve built some really great and hopefully lifelong friendships and connections is just icing on the cake.” – Samantha Sizemore, Social Media Officer

Farewell but not Goodbye

This semester we say farewell to graduating senior, Sharon Chin.

Sharon has spent her past two years at Tower working with the Creative Action team. This year she has been serving as Account Executive for the account.

Sharon has had several internships in a variety of industries including healthcare, philanthropy and fashion. Last spring she interned for Disney Ad Lab where she researched consumer physiological reaction to media. This semester she served as the marketing intern for VisionWeb, where she learned a lot about the eye care industry and utilizing social media in the healthcare field.

We feel honored to be able to break the news that Sharon will, in fact, be staying in Austin post-graduation! She has recently accepted a job as an in-bound marketing specialist.

Sharon has been a wonderful addition to the Tower team and we are very sad to see her go. But since she’s staying in Austin, we’re only saying farewell and not goodbye.

Best of luck Sharon!

Sharon Chin Uses Passion to Fuel Creative Action Leadership

Creative Action Account Executive Sharon Chin

Texas Tower had the opportunity to interview one of our graduating seniors and Creative Action Account Executives, Sharon Chin. As a Public Relations major with a certification in Business Foundations, Sharon has been a Tower member since spring of 2011. Read more about Sharon’s story about how she got involved with Tower and her bright plans for the future!

• How did you hear about Tower?
• Rachel Frey, the previous account executive for Creative Action came into one of my PR classes and gave a very encouraging and motivating speech about what Tower had to offer. I was immediately convinced and applied that very afternoon. That’s why, as an account exec, I take classroom visits very seriously and try to make the best impression on newcomers about Tower.  

• What account(s) were/are you a part of? Which offices (if any) have you held?
• By the end of this semester, I will celebrate my two-year anniversary with Creative Action. I am continuously amazed by what they do for our community and Mary Alice, Creative Action’s community relation’s director, has been an absolute joy to work with. It is inspiring to see how passionate one can be about their job and I really look up to her as my role model and mentor.

• What is your favorite thing about Tower?
• I cannot be more thankful for the opportunities that Tower has provided in these two years. I have learned so much and would not have made it this far in my career without the connections and experience I’ve gained through Tower. My favorite thing would have to be working with a pool of talented individuals who have as much of a passion for PR as I do, and I know that I can always get advice and pick the brains of fellow Tower members. It is a great resource to have! 

• Have you had any jobs/internships? Where?
• I started interning my sophomore year and have held PR internships in a variety of industries including healthcare, philanthropy and fashion. Last spring, I interned for Disney Ad Lab and it gave me a really interesting insight to consumer’s physiological reaction to media – an aspect of advertising that no one has really ventured into. Currently, I am marketing intern for VisionWeb, where I am learning a lot about the eye care industry and utilizing social media in the healthcare field.

• What are your post-graduation plans?
• While generally not recommended, I am taking a free-spirited approach to this. I came into the country when I was 16 and strictly stuck by my four-year degree plan: get As and gain as much experience through internships as I can. Now that I am on my victory lap, it’s time to loosen up and see where life will take me. I enjoy PR and definitely will continue to pursue it. My short-term goal is to continue staying and finding a job in Austin, but I am keeping the thought of heading home an option. Wish me luck!

• If you could give one piece of advice to your freshman self, what would it be?
• Dear freshman Sharon, if you are reading this, congratulations! You have officially mastered the art of time travel. Don’t worry; though you’ve made a few risky decisions, you have accomplished everything that you’ve set up to do in your time at UT. In fact, you should take this moment to relax and stop worrying about grades all the time. In the communications industry, experience weighs more than your 4.0, so while you should keep your grades up, don’t be afraid to be more involved with organizations that are relevant to your passions. Tower and PRSSA have given me opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. Also, don’t get addicted to coffee; your future self will appreciate it.

• What brought you to the University of Texas?
• I found out about UT Austin all the way from Singapore, that’s how internationally renowned this school is. We have a great reputation for being one of the best schools in the world and UT has the best PR program in the country. As a graduating senior, I can guarantee that all the good stuff that you’ve heard about UT is true!

• What do you do on your spare time?
• I love event planning and crafts. I love reading fashion and DIY tutorials on blogs and I create inspirational boards for everything! I’ve never thought of branching out into event planning, but it is something I would love to venture into some time in the future. 

We’re All in This Together: Texas Tower Off to a Great Start

Now that class has officially begun and is well underway, Tower has started to shake-off the dust and get back into the swing of things.

This semester, we had all four clients return as well as an exciting new addition!  Our returning clients include Texas Exes Alumni Association, Creative Action, Candlelight Ranch, and UT Career Services. They are joined by our newest client Teatro Vivo. Each team is excited to undertake the unique challenges their client will present!

Last May we said goodbye to key contributors as they graduated and embarked on their new careers. Because of this, we recruited a record-number of new admittees. A total of 74 students from a number of backgrounds and majors applied – nearly double the amount than ever before. It took several days, but we read through every essay and application, invited the best of the best to interview, and finally selected 15 new members.

On Tuesday, September 11 we held our first meeting and set our teams in stone. They are as follows:

Candlelight Ranch, a non-profit organization that provides a unique outdoor environment where special needs and at-risk children learn, play and heal through the wonders of nature, is headed up by Carly Ward. Account associates include:

• Landon Horan
• Meg Weiss
• Devin Duncan
• Rebecca Hoffman
• Aparna Kumar

Hugo Rojo and Claudia Resendez will lead Teatro Vivo, Austin’s only Latino theatre group focused on raising cultural awareness. Account associates include:

• Hayley Fick
• Marisol Canales
• Monica Rodriguez
• Amanda Leach

Sharon Chin and Linda Huang head Creative Action, an organization committed to inspiring young minds through the arts. Account associates include:

• Austin Malcolm
• Alexandria Vandiver
• Alyssa Ely
• Aly Kasberg

UT Career Services, a collaborative effort of the 17 career services offices at UT Austin to provide employers seeking to hire UT students and alumni a single portal to the variety of recruiting services available, is led by Ashley Buenrostro and Vi Tran. Account associates include:

• Matina Toumanidis
• Vanessa Rodriguez
• Marnie Lemonik
• Saumya Wali

Texas Exes, the alumni group at the University of Texas that works to unite, inform, and involve alumni and friends for the purpose of promoting, protecting, and preserving UT, headed up by Colby Foss

• Katie Doan
• Nathan Boone
• Yanelis Garcia

We want to congratulate our new members and welcome back our veterans. This is going to be a great year!