You're supposed to be tired and broke.

I had met Deanna McKinley previously but only for a few seconds. We had greeted each other at the PRSA’s Pro-Am Day last year and that’s all I remembered. Our second meeting, however, left a lasting impression on me…

To start off, Deanna is funny, lively and inspiring all at once – qualities that put our entire classroom in awe of her. I truly admire her frank and interactive nature because it turned the lecture into a two-way dialogue. I enjoyed her personal touches to the message she was conveying because it made her material more relevant to us.

However, the one key message that really resonated with me was when she reminded us, “You’re supposed to be tired and broke in college. It’s the American way.” As someone who sleeps for three to four hours a night, I basically had to stop myself from cuing the violins in the background and dancing around the room like a maniac; I felt like she almost knew my life story for that one minute.

As college students who live the “American way,” we sometimes forget to be grateful for the destitute and fatigue that surrounds us. I appreciated Deanna reminding us that sitting through four hours of extracurricular meetings every other day is a blessing, not a burden. It is a testament of one’s management and leadership skills. She also reminded us that unpaid internships are worth more in the end, because the experience and knowledge you walk away with couldn’t be purchased with that entire semester’s earnings. She reminded us that running around like headless chickens truly enhances our college experience and maximizes our potential.

Thank you, Deanna, for such an amazing presentation. Your appropriately titled lecture, “Real World PR: Things Your Teacher Never Taught You,” was intriguing, exciting and pertinent. I can only hope to walk out of here as successfully and effectively as you did.