QUEST FOR THE PERFECT JOB

By Paul O’Neill

Alanna Gardner is finally content with her communication career – an emotion that hasn’t always been there. Gardner, now a public relations and brand strategist with Carbonate in Atlanta, graduated from Georgia College & State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication with a minor in rhetoric. Years as a Bobcat

Gardner, an Atlanta native, began her college career at GCSU in 2011. She said she always knew she had a love for public relations and advertising, and her early interest in PR was inspired by the MTV reality TV show “PoweR Girl,” a series focused on the life of young publicists working in New York City.

During her GCSU years, Gardner was involved in giving campus tours, representing the school as a GC Ambassador and serving as president of her sorority, Kappa Delta.

Gardner said her favorite part about GCSU was being part of the mass communication family, specifically the PR and advertising program. The PR and advertising program was small at the time, Gardner said, which allowed her to share a sense of community with her instructors and classmates.

“You take all your classes with these people; you spend nights with them doing projects. It just felt like you were really a part of something special,” Gardner said.

Her favorite classes were in advertising, she said.

“I’m still super close with (Amanda) Respess. Her classes were my favorite. She was an ad nerd like me,”

Gardner said.

Life in the Real World

After graduating in 2015, Gardner said she worked at Green Olive Media in Atlanta as a public relations intern for six months.

Following her internship, Gardner worked for county music star Zac Brown and the Zac Brown Band. Gardner said she learned a lot about the music industry because her job granted her diversity in work from graphic design on tour posters to helping the Zac Brown non-profit organization, Camp Southern Ground.

After about two years with the Zac Brown Band, Gardner moved on to work with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as a public relations coordinator. Much of her work there, she said, ranged from telling the stories of patients

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