Just Apply for That Role

You Hold Yourself Back

Now when you read the subtitle you may think, “well duh.” I am here to not only tell you that you hold yourself back, but how to prevent you from doing so, especially when wanting to apply for a leadership role. 

Why I am Qualified to Give you Advice 

I fully believe that I am qualified to give you advice on this topic because I am a result of  “just apply for that role.” My junior year of college I changed my major to advertising and public relations and just like that… I was a freshman all over again. I didn’t even know if I liked advertising and public relations, but I threw myself into the “college experience” and haven’t looked back since. I joined GrandPR and learned so much about myself and my creative style. Due to running for GVPRSSA President and winning the vote for the ‘23-’24 academic year, I had a surge of self confidence that I had yet to experience in college. I quite literally just applied for the role and I couldn’t be more happy that I did. 

You are Capable

Read this subtitle again… I’m waiting… I’m serious. This quote sounds like a sign my mom would buy from Marshalls and hang in our downstairs bathroom, but it really is true. I truly believed that I was not capable of making anything out of myself in college. I went from being someone who was a two sport athlete, with near perfect grades, volunteered, was in every club possible to a college student who felt nothing but lost in life and nothing to show for her talents and passions. Once I became a member of the GVPRSSA and GrandPR community my life changed. I saw girls I looked up to in leadership roles and never pictured myself in their shoes even though deep down I wanted to be. Why? Why did I spend so much time doubting myself? I ask myself that question all the time. There is no answer. I just shouldn't have. Don’t EVER count yourself out of something before you even try. If you want something, you need to go get it. You are more than capable of anything, especially that leadership role you have been eyeing. If you are looking for a sign, this is your opportunity to show your skills. You are going to kill it, I believe in you. 

Believe in Yourself

Yet again with the cheesy mom sayings… Believe in yourself. Mindset is 99.9% of things. This is what can cause you to hold yourself back. If you don’t believe in yourself, you will spend most of life watching opportunities float by all because you didn’t believe you were worthy of them. I am here to tell you that you are worthy of them all. If you want to apply to a leadership position, please do it. Imagine yourself in that role. What would it look like? How would it feel? Ask yourself these questions and get pumped to apply. You HAVE to be in the right mindset when you apply for roles. If you don’t believe you can do something, then you can’t. It is as simple as that. When you start believing in yourself and start having a positive mindset towards yourself, you will suddenly see doors opening where they weren’t before. Trust me on this. 

Take a Leap of Faith

I am the biggest believer in taking leaps of faith. If you are wanting to do more in your life then you need to be able to believe in yourself and to take matters into your own hands. I came into college not knowing a lot about myself, let alone choosing a major that will dictate my career for the rest of my life. I started majoring in biology and soon found out that marine biology and Michigan don’t mix so I changed it to business with a writing minor my sophomore year. I didn’t love business, but loved my writing courses and the creative outlet they gave me. I realized that I needed more of a mix when I stumbled upon advertising and public relations. I remember the day I was sitting outside of my stats classI dropped my accounting class and changed my major once and for all. It was TERRIFYING changing my major going into my junior year. What if I didn’t end up liking PR? In the end, it was all worth the struggle through boring classes, math, and finding myself to lead me to advertising and public relations and even more so, GVPRSSA and GrandPR. If I wouldn’t have switched my major for the final time and taken that scary leap of faith, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this blog as GVPRSSA President, I wouldn’t have met my life long friends, and I surely wouldn’t have found my one true passion: public relations. 

Maddie Zimmerman is a senior studying Advertising and Public Relations. Maddie is GVPRSSA’s President for the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year. She is also an Account Associate for GrandPR, Grand Valley State University’s student-run, nationally-affiliated, and student-run integrated communications firm. This summer she is the Public Relations Intern for Truscott Rossman and the Communications Intern for Perrigo. In her free time, she is the queen of all hobbies such as hanging out with her rescue cat, playing pickleball, hiking, and drinking matcha. After graduation, Maddie would love to work on the social media side of PR for an outdoorsy brand and to dabble in graphic design freelancing. Maddie’s dream job would be to run the National Park’s social media pages.