Tell us about your job - what does a typical day look like? 

Every day looks different. I might have plans to cover a student and/or teacher-led project, collaborate with departments on the rollout of new initiatives, or drop by some campuses to see what our students may be up to for the day – a lot of spontaneity. 

I also work closely with district leaders to execute initiatives, keeping our focus on what’s best for students. At the end of the day, my goal as Public and Communication Officer is to support our teams in delivering the best experience possible for our kids. 

What do you like most about what you do? 

I love that I’m able to be involved in so many different facets of education, especially opportunities to work directly with kids and blend my communication knowledge as much as possible. My communication studies in college did not revolve around journalism or PR, it was more theoretical and trying to find ways we could practically apply what we know about communication habits to everyday life.

At EMCSD, I get to do all that while still being able to connect with students. Before I fell into school PR, I was seriously considering going back to school and becoming a teacher. I was a substitute for a couple of years, and it was a blast! I got really lucky and fell into school PR through recommendations from people I knew and who believed in me, and now I get the best of both worlds.

What do you find most challenging about what you do? 

Is everything a valid answer??? I’m joking, I’m joking!

The first thing that comes to mind is prioritization. I think many school PR professionals get pulled in so many different directions, and since my job is to hype up the work we’re doing, I want to be everywhere, but the reality is, I can’t. So oftentimes, I’m making decisions on what’s a current priority and what isn’t, and sometimes I miss some stuff. 

Tell us about a project you are working on or completed that you are particularly proud of. How did it come about? What impact has it had so far? 

The creation of Enrichment Days, which are optional attendance days for students during the school year. We decided to leverage the state’s Expanded Learning & Opportunity Program (ELOP) funding to challenge the traditional school calendar by adding Enrichment Days where families could decide whether they wanted to send their students to school, with no impact on their attendance. This was a shift in our customer service mentality and answering to the current needs of students, parents, and staff. Enrichment Days opened the door to more flexibility for parents when scheduling medical appointments for their kids, planning trips that don’t revolve around major holidays, or just giving students additional breaks during the year. For staff, it provided additional non-work days, eliminating some of those long stretches of no breaks or holidays. 

When we rolled it out, we were trying to gauge how many students were going to show up on these optional days. We took RSVPs, but to be as equitable as possible, we also allowed day-of walk-ins. We are a Title I district, so we know we provide more than just education to our families. We guarantee meals and provide safe spaces for students to play and learn, while some families have to work long hours or multiple jobs. Our first Enrichment Day had the most students participate, but every one that followed had fewer and fewer students. The Enrichment Days were wildly popular with students who attended, but were more popular with families who decided to take advantage of those days to spend time with their kids. One of my favorite memories from our first Enrichment Day was a father walking up to school with his children asking if it was true that it was an “optional” day. Despite all of our communication efforts about the new calendar, he still wasn’t quite sure what it all meant. When we assured him that the day was optional, and his kids didn’t have to come to school, he smiled, looked at them, and said, “Let’s go get breakfast.” The kids were so excited to spend a “school day” with their dad. Obviously, I want our kids at our schools as much as possible because I believe in the work we’re doing, but providing opportunities for families to make memories with their children made me even more excited about the potential of this calendar.

How long have you been in the profession and what was your path to school PR? 

I have officially been a PR professional for about six years – I started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, I worked in sports media and entertainment, promoting and producing radio and TV shows. I stepped away from sports in 2019, and spent the year working different jobs to pay the bills, which included substitute teaching. A career change was scary, but I wanted to do something more than just write dumb jokes or irrelevant sports takes (I still have them, though). 

In 2020, while I was working as a sub at Alhambra Unified School District, COVID-19 hit, and the Superintendent reached out to me because a friend of mine told her that I had a background in news and might be of some assistance. I worked really hard for AUSD, producing various stories, supporting communication needs, and census outreach. After my contract ended, I was given some stellar letters of recommendation that I used in my application for El Monte City School District, where I got lucky again.

EMCSD took a chance on me, and I’ve been here ever since. In my interview, my Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent both told me that the position was new to all of us, and we could learn to do it together. I am forever grateful for their trust in me.

What advice do you have for new PR professionals? 

I have three tips:

1. Nothing is serious until it is actually serious. This is definitely something I’ve learned on the job and get reminded about constantly. I know it doesn’t necessarily make sense, but neither does our work sometimes. As PR professionals, we try to think of every possible scenario and how to prevent or troubleshoot them. Reality is, most situations are unique and require nuance. We have to take a step back, think about the best solutions, and plan accordingly; we don’t need to rush. Obviously, there are some emergencies that we can have systems in place for, but I can’t think of any pre-drafted statement or protocol that I have used without changing every sentence in it to fit the current need.

2. Take creative chances. Most people aren’t going to remember that social media post, graphic, or newsletter, no matter how perfect you tried to make it. Be different, be spontaneous, and take chances. Everyone processes communication, information, and social media differently; plus, our habits change constantly. You work for a school district that educates kids. There is room for consistency, but there is more room for fun. One of my most organically viewed posts is a 9-second video of students waiting for their bus as a big rig passes by, honks, and the kids go nuts. No production. No scripts. Just pure joy. So take your chances and have fun!

3. Remember, your job will always be to serve your community. Being a successful PR professional means having the trust of your school community. Small ways we can do that include:

   1. Being present, especially at schools and events. I make it a point to try to talk to people, whether it’s students, staff, or families. Most of the time, I’m behind a camera, but I always take a moment to strike up a conversation and show genuine interest in others. Building those connections benefits you and your work in the long run.

   2. Respecting people’s right to say “no”. Consent matters, and if a student, staff member, or family member declines my request to capture them or be part of a project, that’s fine by me. I want people to be comfortable and confident, and they’ll remember that.

   3. Build capacity. What better way to gain the trust of others than by trusting them? When colleagues ask me to host training sessions on Canva or teach the dos and don’ts to their new social media clubs on campus, I make sure to find time to show up for them. This also includes attending parent meetings and presenting there when needed. Empowering others builds stronger partnerships in the long run.

What else would you like to share?

I just want everyone to remember that our role in education is a little weird. Many PR professionals didn’t go to school to work in academia – we come from marketing, journalism, or production backgrounds. I think we offer a unique outlook to the educational landscape, and I encourage everyone to lend their voice as often as possible. As communication professionals, we are extremely valuable because we can float between different perspectives, so use that talent!

What are you doing to promote IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access)? 

When it comes to storytelling, I try to find the balance between showcasing the uplifting work that is being done without exploiting some of the realities our kids face. 

Equity in communication means being conscious of the words we use to communicate our message while also providing them in languages that families can understand. For example, if any community partner wants to advertise resources or events to our families, we require them to be available in at least English and Spanish. If they are not available, I do my best to work with district translators to recreate the info in both languages, as well as Chinese and Vietnamese when possible. 

As we strive to be more inclusive and increase access and awareness for our families, at school events like Back-to-School Night or Community School gatherings, our schools have booths for ParentSquare so we can help families set their preferred language settings. We also invite district partners like dental and health clinics, our local library, and non-profit groups, so families can learn about resources available to them. I also include many of these resources in weekly newsletters to our community.

El Monte City School District (EMCSD) is a small district located in the San Gabriel Valley with 14 schools that serves roughly 6500 students. We definitely have small-town vibes despite residing in a city that has over 100,000 people. The majority of our school populations consist of Latinx and Asian populations, with over 20 languages spoken. During my last 5.5 years at EMCSD, I have been welcomed into the supportive community atmosphere that our students, staff, and families have created. The trusting relationships I’ve been lucky enough to be part of have been developed over generations, with many of our staff members being former students.