Fortune 500 Company Hires Public Relations and Advertising, Intelligence and Global Security Alumna Alumni Profile

Update: Chelsey Driskel is currently a government account representative at Grainger

How did both of your degrees help you land your position with WESCO International, Inc.?

I started interning during my undergrad as soon as I could. I landed internships at Sheetz, Inc., the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the City of Pittsburgh/Region 13 Fusion Center, and then I had my graduate assistantship on campus in the Office of International Student Services and Enrollment. During my four years at Point Park, I had already obtained two and a half years of work experience.

In every aspect of business, you have to communicate. It does not matter if you are in the public or private sector, professionals communicate all day long in every industry. That is what I loved most about my undergraduate degree in public relations and advertising. No matter the job, I use what I learned in the classroom, and luckily, Point Park’s communication professors taught me well. I look at the aspects of my job from more of an ethical and public relations standpoint, and I believe this makes me a more engaged professional.

My graduate studies in intelligence and global security have given me more insight into how the United States government operates and does business, and, in my current role, I use both of those skill sets every day.

What factors made you decide to continue at Point Park for grad school?

A lot of factors played a role in deciding to go to grad school at Point Park. I have a passion for education and always wanting to do more and go higher in my career. I graduated a whole year early and was weighing out all my options at that point in my life.

The biggest deal maker for me was Rebecca Lee, director of the Office of International Student Services and Enrollment, offering me a graduate assistantship in her office. The GA position would pay for my master's degree. Opportunities like this do not come around often.

Working with Rebecca and Amanda Avampato, assistant director of ISSE office, was one of the best experiences of my professional career thus far. Not only did I learn so much about immigration in the U.S., higher education, different cultures and myself — I met some of the best people in my life. They both changed my life in more ways than one. I loved my position in the office so much that I probably would have worked for free. This opportunity gave me the real-world experience I was looking to pursue!  

What are your favorite Point Park memories?

I would definitely say some of my favorite Point Park memories include living on campus with some of my closest friends and then getting our own apartment Downtown, tutoring a number of students in the Writing Center, going to the Strip District to get coffee and $5 movie nights at the SouthSide Works movie theatre.

What career advice do you have for our students across all majors?

Make sure you are always the first person clapping for someone else’s success. It will make you a better friend, colleague and professional. You probably will not get your dream internship or job on your first try. I know I did not. You will receive more emails that say, “We regret to inform you …” rather than “Welcome to the team! Your offer is enclosed.” It will be very discouraging, but keep going! Never stop networking. Never stop learning. Do whatever you can now to build your resume. Your post-grad self will be thanking you soon.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would not be the person, or professional, I am if I went to school somewhere else. Point Park is a very unique university which makes for very unique students and people like you and me, and this world needs more people like us.

Cherish every moment. One day you will be waking up five minutes before class, eating your avocado toast while waiting in the very long West Penn Hall elevator line, (but you don’t mind because it gives you more time to review your notecards for the exam you are about to take) and then the next day, you are wearing a suit and heels, carrying your meal-prepped breakfast/lunch containers into the office right across the river. Because now, you have a desk there, emails to answer, conference calls to join and meetings to attend. Life changes, and it changes fast!

Connect with Chelsey Driskel

More About: public relations and advertising, graduate assistantships, M.A. in global security and intelligence, alumni, graduate programs, Penn Cambria High School, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Communication