UT Bateman Team’s First Year
The Bateman team is a group of selected PRSSA members by the Director of Advertising and PR, Dr. Natalie Tindall. This year, the UT Longhorn Bateman team is working on providing and offering resources to the Hispanic Community of Austin through their client, The News Literacy Project. It is the first year the Texas PRSSA’s organization is attending the Bateman Competition. We spoke to two team members: Paola Hernández (Junior) and Eva Nassery (Senior), to learn more about the team and what they do.
Joining the team was not an easy task. When asked how she became a part of the team, Eva said:
“Dr. Tindall had presented a lecture in my Journalism Practices class (J317) where she talked about her research, experiences, and advice on how to grow as a PR practitioner. She mentioned the Bateman Case Study Competition that happens every year, and I was intrigued by being able to participate in a national campaign competition and working with her closely as a mentor. She had us fill out an interest form in the Spring of 2022, and we interviewed in the summer!”
The Bateman Team has been hard at work since August 2022. We asked Eva to tell us about their project and what they hope to accomplish:
“Our campaign is centered around our News L. I. T. (Learn. Investigate. Teach.), where we offer resources provided by our client, the News Literacy Project, on how to detect misinformation and disinformation. We also are working towards making the Hispanic community in Austin gain stronger skills on how to be more news literate.”
While the project can be challenging, team members say the hard work is worth it. Paola said, “My favorite part of being on the team is learning so much about what I can offer to the team and also being surrounded by like-minded people who want to create an amazing PR campaign” Eva also said, “I truly love getting to work with Dr. Tindall and my fellow PR classmates. We have a collaborative and safe place to throw out ideas and run with them!”
When asked if there was anything else they would like to share, Paola said, “I would recommend anyone to do it if they can in the future. It is not only a great opportunity for your resume but also gives you a taste of the real work”. Eva expressed similar thoughts: “I truly think the National PRSSA Bateman Competition is a great opportunity to learn more about what it is like being a PR practitioner and helping your client achieve a goal. It’s amazing getting to draft ideas, create plans and see the results afterward.”
If you are interested in joining the UT Bateman team in the future or would like to learn more about the team, reach out to Dr. Tindall.
