School senior Heather Forster named finalist in PR Week 's national student of the year competition

Heather Forster, a senior in UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, has been named one of two finalists in the national PR Week Student of the Year competition, sponsored by Hill & Knowlton.

Forster, co-president of UNC’s Public Relations Student Society of America and native of Greensboro, N.C., will travel to New York City on March 6, 2008, to receive her award at PR Week’s annual awards ceremony at Tavern on the Green.
At the awards ceremony, she will receive either the grand prize of $5,000 and an internship with Hill & Knowlton or second prize of $1,000 and an internship with Hill & Knowlton.

The PRWeek Awards is the world's leading awards program for the public relations industry highlighting and showcasing the best PR campaigns, people and companies from the past year. As part of its awards program, it challenges public relations students across the country to submit public relations campaign plans for a client of PRWeek and Hill & Knowlton’s choosing.

Student submissions were judged and the top five students were then flown to New York January 28-29 to compete in a full day of judging, which included providing a 30-minute presentation to the judges, pitching an international media outlet on their campaign and reacting to a mock crisis scenario. Out of the five short-listed, Forster was chosen top two.

Forster’s campaign was designed for a social entrepreneurship organization that encourages youth ages 12-20 to start social ventures. Her plan included a comprehensive awards program for youth, mentors and businesses, social media hooks, relationships with corporate and nonprofit organizations, and speaking engagements.