CAL STATE LONG BEACH RANKS IN TOP THREE IN NATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS STUDENT COMPETITION

Five Students Named Finalists in the National Collegiate PRSSA Bateman Competition

CSULB’s student-led team Bateman Team, comprised of (L-R) Louis Lopez, Research Director; Britny Coker-Moen, Media Director; Ines Torres, Team Leader; Samantha Storrey, Creative Director; and Andie Paredes, Head Writer; was chosen from 66 teams across the U.S. to present their case to a panel of judges May 16-17 in New York.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 19, 2019) – For the second year in a row, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) students from the Department of Journalism & Public Relations are national finalists in Public Relations Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) 2019 Bateman Case Study Competition, a contest for students that serves as a national ranking of public relations programs across the country.

CSULB’s student-led team, comprised of Ines Torres, Britny Coker-Moen, Andie Paredes, Samantha Storrey and Louis Lopez, was chosen from 66 teams across the U.S. to present their case to a panel of judges May 16-17 in New York. They will be competing against Brigham Young University and University of South Carolina for the top prize. Honorable mentions included University of Florida, Temple University, Samford University, Ohio University and University of Alabama, among others.

The competition gives top students an opportunity to apply their classroom education by creating and implementing a full public relations campaign for a real-life client, from research through evaluation. Team members go through an application and rigorous interview process before being asked to join the team.

This year’s client was the PRSA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports programs that attract, assist and prepare young adults from diverse backgrounds to enter the public relations profession, and works with employers and industry organizations to create workplace-based inclusion efforts to welcome, support and retain a diverse workforce. CSULB’s “Diversity LB” campaign raised awareness among students, professionals and the community on the issues surrounding the lack of diversity in the workforce and empowered students and professionals to make a change in the ethnic diversity of the workforce. The campaign featured several events; the creation of an original e-book featuring stories from CSULB students, alumni and professionals; and launch of a mentorship program with the goal of increasing diverse rising talent.

“As part of an emerging majority, I am proud to be a part of this campaign because I want to educate others on how important diversity is and how it can play an important part in the success of a company,” said Ines Torres, Bateman team leader and president of PRSSA Long Beach. “Being undocumented, and coming this far in my college career, representation in the field is very important to me. We are part of such an innovative field and it is constantly moving forward, it is our responsibility to move with it.”

All participating Bateman teams across the U.S. are assigned the same client, and then develop a campaign to help the client achieve its goals. Traveling with the team will be its academic advisor Krista Coriaty, CSULB alumna and public relations professor in CSULB’s Department of Journalism & Public Relations.

“I couldn’t be more proud of how well this team represented our university and brought our students and professionals together to support the mission of the PRSA Foundation,” said Coriaty. “I’m honored to serve as a coach as our students travel to New York to present to the judges and client, which will provide them with additional experience that will be invaluable as they enter the working world.”

At the Bateman Case Study Competition finals, the first-place team will receive $3,500 and a trophy; the second-place team will receive $2,500 and a plaque; and the third-place team will receive $1,500 and a plaque. The finalist teams will also be recognized during the PRSSA 2019 National Conference.

Media contact: Krista Coriaty

(562) 413-2237 | krista.coriaty@csulb.edu