This article was written by Sarah Gilley ’26, a communication studies major on the public relations track. She currently serves as the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America and an account executive for the student-led public relations firm, the Weltner Consulting Agency.
At the Weltner Consulting Agency (WCA), Oglethorpe students don’t just learn about what it’s like to work in a public relations firm; they live it, working with real clients to solve real challenges. This semester, the WCA is working with Mirko Pasta & Pizza right next door to OU in Town Brookhaven.
Communications and partnership manager, Rachel Spooner ’26, said, “Working at WCA has given me hands-on experience that I wouldn’t get in any other course. As a journalist, it is interesting to see the other side of the coin, where, as a team, we are reaching out to journalists. Working with real clients allows me to see how the outside world of PR and marketing actually moves rather than working with theoretical scenarios.”
This semester, the students are focusing on growing their clients’ foot traffic through researching, organizing, and executing events and partnerships. Business and growth manager, Ronaldo Gaitán ’26 said, “Preparing for events has been challenging and fun at the same time. It has challenged my ability to coordinate and prepare professionally, but because of WCA, I feel more prepared and challenged in my professional career path.”
The WCA has focused on creating and analyzing social media not just for Mirko, but for their own firm, which helps students understand the analytics of social media and how to use it in the future. As students gain hands-on experience, they gain insight into audience engagement, content strategy, and performance tracking, which are vital skills in the field of public relations today. They will be prepared for real-life challenges and opportunities as a result of this hands-on approach. Communications specialist Cameron-Scout Colosi-Bontrager ’28 said, “I have developed new skills for social media that have helped broaden my horizon to understand how to reach and communicate with customers in a different medium.”
The focus at WCA is helping students gain experience, whether it be in communications or business, which helps them understand and work through what they want to do for their own career. Dr. Kate Keib, associate professor of communication studies and faculty advisor for WCA, has put together a valuable program that allows students to mold their job titles to what they want to learn about and grow in, as well as help them grow in leadership by assigning leadership modules at the end of the semester.
“The top universities have student-led firms, and even though Oglethorpe is small, I believe we could implement that type of program here,” said Keib. “My desire to start the firm coincided with a trustee who had a campaign for us to work on and provided a generous donation that enabled us to start the firm.”
Inside and out of the classroom, the WCA is working hard to serve its clients. You can find them all over campus and beyond, collaborating with other clubs, distributing flyers at events, and informing students about the course’s existence. With Keib’s leadership and the students’ dedication to learning, the WCA is an instrumental program at Oglethorpe and fully embodies the university’s slogan: “Make a life. Make a living. Make a difference.”
