March 18, 2013
When
she first enrolled at St. John’s University, Naomi Borno ’06CPS
knew little about Public Relations. But now, a decade later, she’s
become a skilled professional in the field, and she’s quick to
point out that it all began at St. John’s.
“I always knew that I wanted to do something fun, something cool,”
said Borno, who currently serves as Senior Account Executive at MSL
Group, a strategic communications and engagement network. “At St.
John’s, I took two PR classes and fell in love with it. I saw all
the different facets of the profession and had instructors who
really sparked my interest in the subject.”
Today, Borno works closely with Procter and Gamble brands like
DayQuil, NyQuil and Prilosec OTC, securing media coverage. She’s
participated in a number of memorable and unique projects, allowing
her to work with celebrities and attend one-of-a-kind events.
“With Prilosec, I got to work with none other than Larry the Cable
Guy,” she explained. “That was probably the coolest project I’ve
worked on – we even got to attend Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis
and take Larry around radio row, doing 60 media spots in total. We
did interviews with ESPN, USA Today, Jim Rome… it was just an
amazing experience that I’ll never forget.”
But it’s not just the cool projects that make Borno love PR. It’s
the rewarding opportunities to help others – the ability to make a
difference in the community – that draws her to the
profession.
“It’s so special when we can merge PR with helping those who need
it most,” Borno said. “For example, we ran a campaign for
Pepto-Bismal called the ‘Feast for All’ campaign, where we had
Facebook fans post photos of a turkey meal onto our wall. For every
‘like’ we received, we donated a turkey dinner to a family in need.
And that’s precisely the type of stuff that makes this profession
so great.”
A New York native, Borno chose to attend St. John’s because of its
seamless combination of campus life and big-city access. As a
19-year-old, she loved how she could be in her Donovan Hall dorm
room one minute, and the next she’d hop on a train and land in
midtown Manhattan. She also took advantage of the fact that New
York City is the media capital of the world, rife with
internships.
“I always tell current students that you need your degree,” Borno
explained, “but the experience you get from internships is just as
vital, and that’s true whether you’re a freshman or a recent
graduate.”
In fact, Borno decided to take an unpaid internship herself
immediately after graduating from St. John’s, working at 5W Public
Relations for six months.
“You simply have to humble yourself,” she advised. “Opportunities
like that are beneficial because they allow you to network and get
experience under your belt. You’re not working for a paycheck –
you’re solely focused on clients, and that’s both humbling and
transformative.”
Through it all, Borno continues to stay connected to St. John’s,
remaining good friends with many of her fellow alumni. And the
memories, she says, will last her a lifetime.
“It’s all about those memories,” she said. “St. John’s gave me a
great education, plus it gave me my best friends, people that I
still talk to on a daily basis. It’s the place where I fell in love
with PR, so that connection will always be there.”