It is our pleasure to announce that Hannah Weems, a senior at UAB studying communications with a concentration in public relations, recently received the "Best Internship" award from the UAB chapter of the Public Relations Society Student Association (PRSSA) / Public Relations Council of Alabama joint chapters for her internship with Communications Director Christina Crowe. Hannah is scheduled to graduate from UAB at the end of the fall 2020 semester. She started with the department in late 2019 and has been an asset to the team from the beginning, Crowe says.
"Hannah is a hard-working, diligent and dedicated employee who is eager to learn and foster strong communication throughout our department," Crowe said. "She has been an asset to our team from the start."
Hannah's duties range from assistance with posting articles to the department website, to writing and co-editing stories, to graphic design of digital signage, invitations, and more. With a minor in social media stragetgies in marketing, she plans to pursue certification in Google Analytics prior to graduation.
The award is given to a student who not only has received outstanding performance reviews while interning but also demonstrates full use of the skills taught in the public relations curriculum. This is assessed from weekly reports, midterm and final evaluations, the final paper on what the student learned, and conversations between the student and the professor.
"Hannah is an outstanding student," says Dr. Jacque Shaia, assistant professor, Communications Studies and advisor to the UAB PRSSA Chapter. "She is competent, respected and well liked by her peers. She was a leader in the classroom and will be a leader in the community and in this field. I am very proud of her."
Hannah is a member of Lamda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association's national honor society, and serves as missions coordinator for the UAB Wesley Foundation, a ministry of the United Methodist Church. She has served on several mission trips to the Phillipines and Haiti.