Two award-winning graduates of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s public relations (PR) program are getting ready to apply their skills and knowledge in the real world.

Samuel J. Adams, III and Isabel Chimento—communication studies majors with concentrations in mass communications and specializations in PR—earned their bachelor’s degrees in December 2022. Now, just a few weeks after crossing the commencement stage, they are both starting new careers with companies in Greater Birmingham.

“I will be working with Etheridge HVAC Company—I’ll be doing their marketing, their advertising, their PR, their general external communications, and their social media,” said Chimento. “It will be me… a one woman show. In the next year, I want to grow in this company.”

“I actually received an offer for a job… the day before we graduated. That felt so good,” said Adams excitedly. “I got a job with o2ideas [an advertising agency in Birmingham]. I will be an assistant account executive. I really love their organization, and I could tell that we have similar thoughts based on their campaigns from the past. I’m very excited to work with them.”

Both graduates share a deep appreciation for the PR program and its director, assistant professor Jacquelyn S. Shaia, J.D., Ph.D. According to Adams and Chimento, the program equipped them with everything they need to be successful as they start their careers.

“The PR program is perfect in the way that it’s laid out. It all makes sense and it all builds,” said Chimento. “[Dr. Shaia] teaches you so much more than PR. She teaches you… about life and about being a good person.”

“The degree is absolutely amazing,” said Adams. “I like how it’s structured — every course that Dr. Shaia [offers] is a way to fully understand what public relations is all about.”

For Adams, the journey to the PR program began after he completed four years of service in the U.S. Navy. As he left the military and contemplated his next steps, he considered pursuing a career in electrical engineering but quickly realized the field was not aligned with his passions.

“I love media, I love creating videos, I love being creative, I love to talk a lot. So, I knew that I had to choose something where… I could be surrounded by the things I love to do,” said Adams.

With that in mind, Adams started researching communication studies programs and, eventually, found Shaia’s name and contact information. He reached out to her and inquired about the PR program.

“I called Dr. Shaia… and we had a 45-minute conversation about what public relations [is],” said Adams. “She hit all the right notes with me. Without talking to her, I would not have gone into public relations.”

Chimento’s path to UAB and the PR program was significantly different. She grew up in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and after graduating high school, she attended a community college for a year. At the time, Birmingham was not on her radar.

“I grew up on the beach,” said Chimento. “It was unlike any other place to grow up. It was almost a utopia.” While contemplating her future in Santa Rosa Beach, Chimento learned that her father needed a kidney transplant and would receive care at UAB Hospital. Chimento followed her father to Birmingham and, soon after arriving, fell in the love with the city and explored UAB’s campus for the first time.

“Ultimately, these people [at UAB] saved my father’s life,” said Chimento, “That’s when I first saw the campus, when I was coming up with my dad for doctor’s visits. And I just thought, ‘This is unlike anything I’ve seen. It’s a college campus… it’s spread out through a diverse, growing downtown environment.’”

Chimento decided she would enroll at UAB, which prompted her to evaluate prospective majors. Prior to leaving Florida, she supported a local fine jewelry store with its social media campaigns, so she decided communication studies and PR might be a good long-term fit.

“[While running the store’s social media] I found a passion for helping people turn their visions into creative, physical results. That’s why I thought, ‘Okay, communication, PR, this is what I’m going to do,’” said Chimento.

While studying PR at UAB, both Chimento and Adams found a supportive community through the UAB chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama/Public Relations Student Society of America (PRCA/PRSSA), a student-led organization open to students across campus who are interested in public relations. Shaia serves as the advisor for UAB PRCA/PRSSA which conducts workshops, hosts networking events and guest speakers, and offers service-based learning in the community. Chimento served as Vice President of Programs for PRCA/PRSSA, and Adams served as Vice President of Membership and Chair of STAR Chapter Awards.

At the PRCA/PRSSA 2022 Annual Banquet, Adams and Chimento received the Most Outstanding Campaign Award. Both students, along with their fellow classmate Katlynn Mitchell, received the award for an innovative PR campaign they developed for Hand in Paw, a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization that offers animal assisted therapy. The students collaboratively worked on the campaign for several months and leveraged the knowledge and skills they developed throughout their time in the PR program.

As Chimento reflects on the award, she notes that her relationship with Adams helped drive the work. “We emphasized being friends before being classmates, and I think that’s what made us stand out as a team,” said Chimento.

Adams—who won the prestigious PR Strategist Award from the Alabama Public Relations Society of America—also acknowledges the ways in which he and Chimento learned to support one another throughout the project. “We took time to recognize our own weaknesses. And, once we did that, we literally took [our] strengths and then put those where each other’s weaknesses were,” said Adams.

Now, both Adams and Chimento are bringing their award-winning instincts and talents to the workforce, while still fondly reflecting on their time at UAB and with PRCA/PRSSA. “The UAB PR program and PRCA/PRSSA impacted my life in ways that I couldn’t have even imagined,” said Chimento.

For Shaia, it’s clear that both graduates have bright futures ahead of them.

"Working with Sam and Isabel has been a joy," said Shaia. "They worked hard in every class, were focused on their goals, and took every opportunity UAB offered them to ensure their education prepared them for success upon graduation. That attention to detail is critical in the public relations field and made both of them the kind of employees an organization wants to hire. I am so proud of these young professionals who will use their skills and strong ethical standards to make our community—and world—a better place."