Alyson Braden

Major: Public Relations and Strategic Communication

Hello! I am Alyson Braden, and I majored in Public Relations and Strategic Communications with a focus in Advertising. I am from Peru, Indiana, shoutout to the amateur circus capital of the world! 

I started out in Krannert, Purdue’s business school, majoring in marketing, but I quickly realized I wasn’t excited about any of my classes and craved a more people-oriented field. After talking to liberal arts advisers, I decided to major in PR. I am interested in pursuing a career in graphic design and I have been able to take classes outside of my major such as intro design, web development coding, and basic drawing during my time at Purdue.

I have had three graphic design internships that have given me fantastic job experience. Currently, I am working as a graphic design intern at SDI Innovations, a graphic design agency in Lafayette, and Purdue Foundry, a suborganization of Purdue that helps students and staff become entrepreneurs. I have gained real-world experience from graphic designers and I have had access to the most up-to-date programs that are being used in agencies.

This experience has been invaluable, but it would not be incredibly useful if I do not know how to articulate it on a resume and that is where the College of Liberal Arts Career Center has saved me. We are the only college on campus with a career center focused solely on us, and I use it to my advantage every time I want to update the language in my resume, need help writing a cover letter, or need help looking for an internship in my field. 

Studying abroad is one of my favorite experiences I have had during my college career! Last June, I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, on a program specifically designed for PR majors. I traveled with 30 students from Purdue, one professor, and two TAs, and I made friendships that I know will last a lifetime. I spent my weekends traveling through Europe with people in the program who I had just met, learning more about each other with every country we travelled to. We went to Switzerland, Belgium, and Greece, and I was able to visit my uncle who lives in Spain.

During the week, I stayed with a host couple who were in their 70s and spoke only Spanish, which helped expand the Spanish I knew and required me to utilize Google Translate more than I ever have in my life! My host mom, Marga, was very involved in the Catalonian revolution. She went to rallies and flew the rebel flag, so I learned about their fight for independence and a few phrases of Catalan while I was there. It was a much greater cultural experience than I could have ever imagined. When I left, Marga said we are not saying goodbye because I can always come back to visit and we still stay in touch today. 

Purdue has given me so many experiences, and along the way, it has blessed me with the best friends I have ever had. All universities have their special parts, but Purdue has felt like home to me from the moment I fumbled through the common bond dance during Boiler Gold Rush. I am ever grateful to be a Boilermaker!