Top Dog Communication was first introduced to me when creating my schedule for the
second semester of my freshman year here at the University of Indianapolis. I began my college
journey as a Communication major who had yet to choose an emphasis until a few weeks before
the closing of my first semester. After much deliberation and FaceTime chitchats with my Mom,
I finally declared Public Relations as my emphasis and was immersed into Applied PR only a
few weeks later. After the first class period I felt overwhelmed to say the least, but equally as
excited to build upon my skills and get my first taste of what working in PR is actually like. As
the weeks went on I was creating more and more tactics for our client and began feeling
comfortable and enthusiastic about what was being assigned to me. The feedback I was receiving
and the expectations I set for myself kept me focused on what I was trying to achieve throughout
the course.
Fast forward to the night of March 6 th , almost two months into the semester. I was sitting
in class just as I do every week, but this time something special and out of the ordinary
happened. Our firm director, Reagan, stood in the front of the classroom and started introducing
the student who was chosen to be Associate of the Month for February. She explained the
reasoning behind the selection also and what was said by their account executive in regards to
this student’s work ethic. Keep in mind, up until this point I had never turned something in that I
was not 100% satisfied with, but in no way did I think my efforts would be recognized in front of
the entire class. The students in Top Dog Communication are incredibly talented and I was
somewhat insecure about my lack of experience in comparison to them. However, Reagan began
dropping hints that it was in fact me who earned this award and I could feel myself about to burst
with excitement. When she said my name, I tried to play it cool and graciously accept the award
without completely going crazy. Don’t worry though, I called my Mom immediately after class
ended and celebrated.
Fast forwarding again to present day, two weeks before I will be leaving campus for the
summer. I am reflecting on my first semester in Applied PR and can without a doubt say that
being Associate of the Month was the highlight. It gave me the confidence I needed to think
outside of the box and push myself even farther than I knew I could. It has motivated me to keep
improving and producing the best work possible because I don’t want to disappoint myself or
those who believe in me. This course has had an incredibly positive impact on my life thus far
and I am beyond excited to continue challenging myself and learning new things through it.
Discovering your strengths and putting them towards a career you are passionate about is advice
everyone has probably heard, but I feel incredibly lucky to be putting those words into action
because of Top Dog Communication.

With only 19 days remaining until graduation I can’t help but think about what is
going to happen next. For the past 22 years of my life I have had structure and knew
what I needed to achieve and how to go about doing so. I would go to school, work,
and work over summer until school started again. But this is all about to change in a
short 19 days…
After graduation I am moving to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the role of being an
account executive in a social media management company. I have had a couple
social media internships throughout college and thoroughly enjoyed my time during
them. I am excited for the journey but a little nervous due to the fact that I only
know one person there.
Nashville is known for the entertainment scene, particularly in regards to country
music. This provides the perfect opportunity as a public relations professional to
dive into the entertainment industry. In the next two years I see myself beginning
my career in social media management and then transitioning into an entertainment
PR firm in downtown Nashville and furthering my freelance logo and web design
side gig.
While I am nervous that I am going to lose my sense of structure and security of
knowing what I should be doing, I am so excited to begin my career in public
relations. I love what I am doing in the classroom and am eager to take that
knowledge and watch it flourish in the real world. The knowledge and experience
we gain through Top Dog Communication is so prestige and known by professionals.
When you say you are in Top Dog people know the work we do and the skills we
have. I fully believe that our experience and knowledge from Top Dog
Communication puts us ahead of other applicants due to the quality of work we
produce and the expectations and standards we are held to.

In the future, I see myself working in corporate PR. I want to be in entertainment public
relations, focusing on the music industry. I think that corporate PR offers a more focused
concentration in a field that I am passionate about. Whereas with agency PR I feel that there
could be a lot of different clients that I wouldn’t really care about. I also don’t like the fast pace
of agency PR, and the multitasking for different clients. I would much rather work on one project
at my own pace than be rushed to meet deadlines for multiple different clients.
When I work in corporate PR in the entertainment industry I would like to work with
either a large venue (Grand Ole Opry) or for a corporate music company (Live Nation). Lucky
for me, I have already secured positions within both of my dream organizations. I couldn’t have
done what I have without the help of Top Dog Communication. As an Account Executive I have
learned far more than I ever could in a traditional classroom setting. Top Dog, I think, has
prepared me more for the corporate type of PR. Not that I couldn’t learn and adjust to agency
work, but I enjoyed working on the one client for the duration of the semester.

When I moved from Cincinnati to Indianapolis in 2015 for college, I was woefully unprepared. I didn’t know a soul in the city. I somehow went 18 years of my life without realizing that basketball is A Thing here and was woefully unprepared to hear about the Pacers all the time. I kept accidentally calling residents of Indiana “Indianans” (I know, I know. I still cringe thinking about it).
 
The point is, there was a Hoosier learning curve at first, but the more time I’ve spent in Indy the more I’ve grown to enjoy it. Here are the qualities of Indianapolis that I think make it such a great city, especially for young communication professionals.
 

1. Indy is home to some epic publications. What better way to learn about the media than to watch other people do it really, really well? The Indianapolis Star is a shining example of the best a local/regional newspaper can be. Their headlines, even on social media, steer away from the sensational and clickbait-y. I follow multiple IndyStar journalists on Twitter, including sports reporter Gregg Doyel, who consistently tells stories that pique my interest despite writing on a topic I know nothing about一sports. Indianapolis Monthly is also a worthwhile read, and always makes me feel classier and better educated after perusal.

 

1. There is a wealth of opportunities. I gave a tour to a future communication student the other day who was interested in sports. By the time I finished telling him and his parents about students I know who have interned for the NCAA, the Colts, the Pacers, the Indians, and even the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the whole family’s heads were spinning. And Indy isn’t just great for jocks (as evidenced by my existence here). The city is also home to cool agencies like Bandy Carroll Helliage and Blast Media that make my PR heart flutter. Most importantly, successful people at these organizations are so willing to pass on their knowledge to students whether it be through an internship, mentoring, or even just speaking at a PRSSA meeting. It makes the big city feel a lot smaller.

 

1. The people, and I don’t mean that in the cliche “Hoosier Hospitality” way (mostly because I have witnessed how people in this city drive). I’m talking about the people that balk at the name “Nap Town,” the Indianapolis success stories that could move on to bigger and better cities, but instead put even more of their time and energy into making this place great. These people come in the form of philanthropists like Christel De Haan, engaged civil advocates like Mali Jeffers, and grassroots organizations such as current client SO Indy. Indy has so many passionate, involved people that pull this city up by its bootstraps and push it in better directions every day. It’s both something I am thankful for and incredibly inspired by.

 
Though there are a million other reasons why Indianapolis is great for students (like UIndy itself!) these are the things I was most pleasantly surprised by and hope never change about this place (feel free to work on that highway driving, though, Hoosiers).

We’ve all had that moment where we wanted something to be different. Maybe it was when we were five years old and a classmate got picked on because of their looks or disability. Maybe it was in college when you realized people weren’t taking global warming seriously. Whenever you had that moment where you wanted change, we were told to do something about it and that is what I am going to do.
 
That is why I choose Public Relations as my major. 
 
My friends laugh and tell me I’m too passionate about too many things because I get excited easily but I also get my heart broken just as fast about the broken world around us. I care a lot about this city and this earth so I’m always looking to where I can help next. Because of this mindset of mine, I think non-profit PR is where I belong. I’ve had multiple people tell me, “Why would you want to work in non-profit? You won’t make any money! You should just volunteer there on the weekends.” I can’t help but to think there is more to life than just making money and moving on. What about making a lasting difference for someone else? How come there are so many people hurting and all I’m supposed to worry about is money?
 
I haven’t had a lot of experience in non-profit PR besides in Top Dog Communication. This semester I am working with Peyton’s Promise Inc., which is a non-profit organization that was created after a family lost their three-year-old child to Leukemia. Peyton’s Promise was created with the goal to “utilize donated proceeds for meaningful purposes that provide comfort and support to families, and allow donors to see a real, tangible impact they have on someone else’s life.”
 
This organization matters to this family and so many more. It’s more a non-profit… it’s changing lives.
 
We’re taught in public relation courses to change the way others see things. Isn’t that changing the world? If you want something to change, we have the ability to shift perceptions and open the public’s view.
 
So what do you want to change to make the world a better place?

1. One of the biggest improvements I've noticed in myself this semester is my ability to analyze certain materials and understand the angles and motives behind the actions. I feel that Top Dog has greatly increased my ability to recognize strategy - both weak and strong which is something I'm incredibly pleased with.

2. I also feel that this class has improved my critical thinking skills as well. As I mentioned above, I am able to recognize motives and strategies much more quickly than I could at the beginning of this semester. Adding on to that I am able to not only recognize strategy, but consider how I myself might improve upon it or the route I would've most likely taken. I'm also able to determine the effectiveness of certain PR tactics when faced with a particular demographic or socio-economic status. 

3. My public speaking skills have also improved because of Top Dog. I really like that the standards for presentations are higher than most other classes, it pushes me to do my research and rehearse extensively before delivering. It has also helped me recognize the importance of eliminating things like fillers and depending on visual aid too heavily during an address.

4. I have recognized a big change in my time-management skills as well. When I was involved in athletics, my time-management skills were top notch. Since retiring, however, I've noticed myself becoming more and more lax the further removed I am from sports. I really appreciate the opportunity this class has given me to get that back, as I will certainly be needing it going into any job field after graduation.

5. This semester in Top Dog has improved my ability to cooperate with a variety of different people. I have always admired people of great flexibility who can adapt to different personalities and circumstances. This is something I am constantly working to ameliorate and also an area that I am more than excited to see progress in.

 Before entering the world of Communication, social media was never that important to me. However, after a few short months of being at Uindy, I found that in most of my classes knowing current events as a student were an integral part of preparing for a future in this field. Before I knew it, I would be scrolling the Twitter feed regularly for assignments, projects and class discussions like it was my job; but a fun job at that!
            After being ‘forced’ into the world of Twitter, I discovered how important it is to stay informed and how much of a reliable source it actually is. In all areas of Communication, Twitter can be found useful. Here are a few points I have made as to why, if you are aspiring to be successful in Communication, you should have a Twitter account.

1. Writing - Every major news outlet has Twitter account, meaning constant relevant news written by professional journalists in less than 140 characters. This allows you the opportunity to follow these sources, not only for academic use, but for your own benefit in improving upon your own writing by observing the professionals. Learn new writing techniques and apply them to your own posts as to how to inform and reach a large audience.
2. Connections - Connections, Connections, connections, you can never have enough! Along with your favorite news outlets, you can even follow personal accounts of professionals in the field you desire to be in. Whether it be public relations, TV,  radio, sports, etc. you can stay in touch with your professionals and get to know them better. Either by ‘liking’ their tweets, ‘re-tweeting’ or simply messaging them you can ask them questions and stay up to date with their current endeavors. Even tweeting at these people can give you the opportunity for them to possibly notice you and set up a relationship with them and their company. If you get the chance to meet them one day, you will already have a conversation starter and they will appreciate your support and maybe possible job connection.
3. Current events - By having twitter, you automatically will be informed; there is no way to avoid it. Even if you are not following a major news source, people you follow will express their opinions about current events; as should you! Twitter is the ultimate platform to use your writing skills to express your opinion on current events while seeing other people's point of views. Especially if you are interested in being involved in PR, I have come to realize how important it is to stay informed in current events as your client(s) will one day need you to be for the importance of your firm and their reputation.
   

By Derek Walter

Top Dog Communication is the perfect applied course for myself.  You not only learn different ways of doing tactics, you make friends and you make memories.  Top Dog is a taken in the course of Applied Public Relations and I thought that it was going to be an easy going and enjoyable class.  It was that and plenty more.  Not only did I work hard every week on my tactic, I researched my client’s website and guidelines.  This may seem like a lot of work  and it is, but working with my group made my first semester in Top Dog a huge success.
You make friends and learn about the type of person you truly are.  Are you a procrastinator or are you getting your work done early?  I found out in my first college semester that you can not wait to do your work later.  Take breaks every once in a while so you do not wear yourself out, but put your head down and keep on going.  As I once saw on a t-shirt, “No Pain No Gain.”  The college life is not easy and not super difficult, but it is a test to your dedication to your client and time managing while doing a tactic.
Top Dog Communication also brings out the designer in you.  Creativity is one area that I have improved a lot over this semester.  I started out plain and no fun, but my account executive wanted me to be more creative, so I asked for more creative tactics.  Not only do you design, but your writing skills develop more as well.  Your research is stated better after doing hours upon hours of media market research of relating these media outlets back to your client.  You may want out sometimes, but just keep going.  Everyone will help you and you will survive.
Top Dog Communication is the perfect applied course because of the variety of tactics that you do such as designing holiday cards, media market research, and press releases.  This course was easily my favorite course this semester due to the friends I have made and the hard work I have put forth for my wonderful client.  I want to thank everyone for making me feel welcome and I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given. THANKS.

By Laken Detweiler

1. You love your department aka the people
One of my favorite things about being a communications major is the people. It is so important to like the people that are in the department whether they are professors or students. For the next four years of your life you will spend a large majority of your time with them, so why not make sure you like them. I love the Comm. Department, and I am always excited to visit Comm. Land on the third floor that not many people are aware.

2. You’re excited to talk about it
When you pick a major you want to be proud of it and tell everyone, but on the other hand, do not let your major define you. As an orientation leader I was telling incoming freshmen my major on the daily, and I could not have been more proud of being a comm. major. I said it with pride because I loved it so much and found my place at UIndy and I wanted them to find theirs.
If you do not want to tell people your major, then after you graduate are you going to want to tell them about the job you have? I am excited to tell people about my major because although I do not want it to define me it is a large part of who I am. I know it is a cliché, but pick something because you love it, not because of the money. It may sound lame, but you have a whole life to live so why not enjoy it.

3. You enjoy your major’s homework more than the general education homework
It sounds ridiculous because homework sucks all around, but at least there is some motivation because this is what you want to do with your life, right? If the answer is no, suck it. You need to get a C or better most likely. The only thing about homework is that it will help in the long run, or at least tell yourself that. At least homework for your major has a purpose where as general education classes are just to “broaden your horizons.”

4. You see a future with it
Even if you do not know what you want to do, you have a gut feeling that it will workout no matter what. That all of the ridiculous classes and assignments you did will actually payoff when you get your first real assignment in the “real world.” Although thinking about your future gives you anxiety, the positives out weigh the negatives.
For me, everything finally clicked and I know exactly what I want to do with my life and I could not be more excited about it. I cannot wait to see what my future holds as a communication major.

5. You have a love hate relationship with going to class/doing assignment
It is mainly a hate relationship, but going back to number one, it’s the people. That’s where the love comes from. Some of my favorite people are comm. majors, and going to class knowing that I enjoy my classmates and professors makes it bearable.

6. The thought of changing your major provides no relief
All of the time I hear people complaining about their major, and I just sit there like “Oh, cool. I like mine.” They talk about the homework that is piling up, the people they do not get along with and the classes they do not understand. My suggestion to them is change your major because you are clearly not enjoying it. As for me, I enjoy everything about being a comm. major, and could not imagine being in a different department. In fact, I do not ever want to have to imagine being a part of another department.