As a Drexel communication major, Kayla Alford '24 found that her field of study was sometimes misunderstood by her peers. “I often got questions like ‘What do you do for homework? Do you just talk to people?’” she recalled. “It's more than just talking to people and it's more than just writing essays. It's really getting to the nitty-gritty of why we communicate, how we communicate effectively in different settings and with different audiences and how to get that audience to see what you want them to.” 

Alford majored in communication with a concentration in public relations and a minor in organizational management. As the director of diversity and inclusion for Drexel’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), she organized an event featuring a panel of professionals working in the diversity realm. “It was pretty cool to have these notable people talking to us,” she said. “PRSSA has been a great networking opportunity, and I think for anyone who wants to go into PR or is interested in communications in general, it's a great thing not just to have on your resume but to be a part of because you make all those connections.”   

A co-op with Comcast's human resources team helped Alford figure out her career goals. Working with a large company, she found that HR combined both business and communication skills and centered people. "Seeing them be an advocate for people... and making sure that everyone had what they needed to succeed in their role swayed me. It was like, 'This is exactly what I want to do.'"