Sarah Dillon is a junior communication major at Drexel University. Originally from Holbrook, NY (a suburb on Long Island), Sarah had a hard decision to make when choosing what college she wanted to attend. Having only a vague idea of what major she wanted to pursue made the decision even more difficult. Eventually, she decided on Drexel University for its location and size.
“I wanted a big school in a city,” said the New York native, “And I wanted to be close enough to home that traveling back would be easy, but far enough away where I would still feel independent.”
This past year at Drexel has brought many changes and opportunities for Sarah, including a change in her major. Sarah started her college journey as a psychology major, though she knew the whole time that she would end up changing her mind. After realizing that the part of psychology she liked most was all about people, she changed to a communication major with a concentration in public relations.
This change in and of itself has led Sarah to many amazing opportunities, like her new co-op with a boutique PR firm called Breslow Partners. While she has only been there for a couple of weeks, Sarah has already learned so much from working at a PR firm.
Although it’s a relaxed atmosphere, Sarah still has many responsibilities and tasks throughout her days at the firm. Sarah’s not one to shy away from responsibility, though; she often embraces it. Sarah says that the part of her co-op that she enjoys the most is getting to work one-on-one with the clients she has picked up through Breslow Partners. “The main thing I’ve taken away from the experience is how to manage my time wisely,” she said, “I have to push myself to stay on top of things sometimes.”
Another opportunity that Sarah has gotten to experience through Drexel is traveling internationally. Her most recent trip was to the Czech Republic on an intensive study abroad trip for a photography class, but it ended up yielding so much more than pictures. She took photography and architecture classes while abroad, learned foreign languages, engaged in different cultures and customs, and visited world famous museums. What she learned most about, however, was herself. “I went into the trip not knowing anyone else there and not knowing any of the language, which can be scary,” Sarah said. “The whole month was basically me pushing myself to do things that were out of my comfort zone.”
When Sarah isn’t at her co-op or exploring the world, she is working her part time job as a community assistant at Chestnut Square, which is rewarding for her in its own way. Working on events and residential life is one of her favorite parts of the job because she gets to use her skills in public relations in another area of her life.
Between her two jobs, Sarah doesn’t have much down time. When she does have time to relax, however, she’s either hanging out in Rittenhouse Square petting dogs, baking cheddar bay biscuits or crafting with her friends.