Elleana Ortiz is a senior public relations and dance complimentary double major from Holt, Michigan. Though starting college at a small Kansas university, Ortiz transferred to Anderson University as a junior to further pursue her passion for dance. Ortiz was able to find her fit here at AU with the ability to add a secondary major on top of the dance program.
Over the summer, Ortiz had the opportunity to work close to home as the Community Engagement and Inclusion intern for Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan, fulfilling her public relations major requirements.
Each day Ortiz was tasked with preparing and planning events and activities throughout the zoo. During her internship, she recognized the importance of both research and analytics firsthand.
In research, Ortiz worked to find and learn about similar businesses that could provide potential insight into new strategies and systems that the Potter Park Zoo could adopt. Recording this information helped the zoo build their awareness and stay up-to-date on the profession's potentials.
Through analytics, Ortiz created a series of different surveys for both zoo staff and visitors. When responses were submitted, she collected the information for further use and application to help aid the customer-business relationships within the zoo.
Though Ortiz’s work over the summer was rooted in her public relations major, she hopes to put her dance complementary major to use dancing professionally following her college graduation in May. She sees potential to incorporate public relations as a part-time job, or even as a position following her dance career. Regardless, she hopes to stay connected with the arts.
Uncertain of what the future holds, Ortiz said she is confident that God has a plan for what lies ahead. “God is good at putting things together that we may have never considered before,” she said. Until graduation, you can find her people watching and doing homework at Mocha Joe’s on campus, spending time with friends, enjoying CAB events and attending various fine arts performances.
Tori Storm is a junior from Greensburg, Indiana, majoring in visual communication design and public relations event planning. Storm is an associate with Fifth Street Communications®, a student-run public relations agency at Anderson University.