How J-Day Helped Me Find My Major

By Jillian Wilschke

Early spring of my junior year, I hopped on a yellow school bus with roughly twenty other high school students from my Publications class to attend Ball State University’s High School Journalism Day. I was expecting a fun day with friends learning more about my passion for journalism, but I didn’t think I would leave the day with my future career field picked out.

Being a part of my Publications class in high school exposed me to the wide world of journalism, but as I explored this world, I didn’t think that being a journalist was the right path for me to take. I did not look forward to living a life relying on other people’s stories and chasing down people for interviews. I enjoyed being a journalist in high school, but I was afraid that taking this path in my future might burn me out awfully quick. I needed a change in my life, but I needed to stay within my passion of journalism.

I can’t recall exactly how I found PR.  But, I do know the day that I decided it was the field for me.

I had been to plenty of journalism conventions and programs outside of my high school, but High School Journalism Day (J-Day) at Ball State was the one that I’ll never forget. There were a variety of breakout sessions to attend, but the one I knew that I had to go to was a session that explained PR. At the session, I listened to a variety of students and their various definitions about what PR was to them. Everything I heard made me fall in love with PR and made me realize that PR was the field that I needed to be in. Plus, I loved that PR was still considered a form of journalism so I could stay true to my passion. The students who spoke to us about PR also spoke about my dream organization that I knew I wanted to be involved in while in college. Each speaker of the session was a member of Cardinal Communications, and after hearing them explain what they do as a part of the student-run PR agency, becoming a member of Cardinal Communications was a goal of mine.

Today, I’m a proud freshman in my second semester of Cardinal Communications wondering where I would be today if I hadn’t had the influence of these students at J-Day. Also, as a member of this agency, I have already learned so much about PR through real-world experience. My fellow Cardinal Communications members have been guiding lights as I explore my passion, and I don’t think I would be where I am in college without their friendship and advice.

I remember boarding the bus to leave Ball State after J-Day and feeling excited about my future in PR. With a bus full of friends, I stood up on the bus and announced to everyone that I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to study PR at Ball State University. I will never forget that enlightening moment. As a child, the yellow school bus always simply brought me to and from school. Little did I know that I would eventually board one that would lead me to discovering my future career. I’ve got a lot of  PR learning to do in my life, but I had a great start thanks to J-Day, those who influenced me on that day, and those who are continuing to inspire me today.