Two Journalism & Communication Majors Excited to Lead USU Students

Studying the journalism and communication major is a commonality two Utah State University Student Association leaders have on this year’s council.

Abraham Rodriguez, USUSA president, was elected and inaugurated to the highest student position in April. He should be a familiar face to students during the Logan and Statewide Campuses election campaigning process.

“It was exhausting but rewarding,” Rodriguez said.

He loved interacting with students throughout Utah and learning and understanding some of the 27,000 students from Logan to Blanding, all having unique stories to tell.

Campaigning for this position came with challenges like the intense Logan winter, but he’s glad he made it through the cold temperatures and nonstop snow.

“I had a really strong ‘why’ and a great team backing me up,” Rodriguez said.

One of his goals is to help USU through leadership changes. Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell will serve as the new USU president and Jason Brei as the new police chief.

“I want to make sure students’ voices are still heard,” Rodriguez said.

This is the second elected position he’s had in USUSA. Last year he was executive vice president and worked with President Clara Alder.

Rodriguez will be a senior in the journalism and communication program and uses a skill he learned in his media relations class, where Professor Steve Reiher shares tips on what to do and what not to do when interacting with the press.

“I really know what to do when people come to interview me,” Rodriguez said.

One of his initial duties was hiring a USUSA public relations director. Rodriguez hired fellow JCOM major Carter Ottley.

Rodriguez was impressed by Ottley’s application. He wrote a press release and a public relations plan for all of the elected officers as an application process for his position.

“I strive to be more like Carter on the PR side,” Rodriguez said.

The public relations director position is Ottley’s second role in USUSA. Last year, he was the senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“That role helped me understand USUSA as a whole and learn where I can fill the gaps,” Ottley said.

As public relations director, he will help write press releases for 20 officers at the Logan campus, create events, write web stories and manage the involvement website.

Content creation is one of his other duties. He will run the USUSA Instagram account and oversee Instagram accounts for USUSA Events and The Hurd. He credits journalism and communications social media and photojournalism classes for relevant skills that got him hired for this position and skills to keep the student body engaged.

“I can pick the strategies that will work best and make all the decisions myself,” he said.

A press release he wrote about the 2023-2024 officer’s inauguration got picked up by The Herald Journal, The Utah Statesman, ETV News and a Logan radio station.

Ottley’s experience so far makes him feel confident he will stand out when he enters the job market spring 2024.

“Going into a job interview, I can talk about these experiences about decisions I got to make instead of following someone else’s,” he said.

Ottley expects challenges that come with working with a lot of people, managing time and developing a cohesive plan.

“I’m really excited. I think we have a really good group,” Ottley said.

Rodriguez is also looking forward to this year despite potential challenges.

“I’m really excited and grateful to come back for year two and to help with pivotal and changing times,” Rodriguez said.