PSUC junior Chelsea Asare is well-known for her sense of style and authenticity on campus. She is an outspoken person and not afraid of voicing her opinions.
“I don’t want to live in the world where I have to sugarcoat my belief and myself as a person to please everyone,” she said. “Not everyone is going to like you, so I’d rather people like me for who I am.”
Asare is currently 20 years old, and she is majoring in public relation with minors in journalism and broadcast management.
She is also the vice president of broadcast for Plattsburgh association of black journalists.
Three years ago, she decided to go to PSUC because it is the only school with good public relation program, compared to other schools, according to Asare.
She said what she loves about PSUC the most is the people and the friends she made here.
“Also being in Plattsburgh State taught me a lot about myself,” Asare said. “It helps to personalize what I believe in.”
She said the college gave her the chance to overcome her beliefs and understand her mission and her purpose in life.
“It definitely helps me learn more about myself as well,” Asare said.
Majoring in public relations, she said it allows her to communicate with other in a way that gives her the opportunity to interact with the media and other companies.
While deciding her options for major, Asare knew she would want to work on the communication field. And she believes public relation fits her the most because it gives her the access to both talking and writing.
“Along with public relation, I decided to choose a minor in broadcast management because I realized I wanted to do media reporting,” Asare said. “It was too late for me to add a major at that time, so I took classes and gained the skills about broadcast management.”
She said she has learned many aspects of media reporting and learned being on and off camera.
“I aspire to be a publicist in the future for a well-known company,” Asare said. “Currently, the company I want to work for is Essence Magazine.”
Essence is where black women come first for news, entertainment and motivation, according to their official website.
The magazine is focus on the premiere lifestyle, fashion and beauty magazine for African-American women.
“I want to tell stories of a black woman about how they are perceived in the media,” she said.
Asare always makes sure she shares her opinions whether she knows the people in the room are going to like it or not. She wants her voice to be heard.
“During my college experience, I learned a lot and started to share more of my personal opinions,” Asare said. “I became harder on myself because I know if I don’t do that, I will not be where I am right now.”
As a public relations major, she said being strong and having tough skin are crucial because everybody has different mindset and vision of how he or she sees the world.
“You have to be cautious of what you said but also don’t be afraid to speak up,” Asare said.
Junior accounting and finance major Shiyiheeim Nartey-Tokoli met Asare through a club during his freshman year.
He described her as “fashionable” because she always looks professional and put together all the time, “selfless” because she always puts everyone else first before thinking about herself and “determined” because no matter what happens, she always moves forward and keeps her eyes on the prize.
Senior sociology and Africana studies major Mariyamo Fofana sees Asare as a sincere person because she always cares about her friends and the people around her.
“Asare is a queen,” Fofana said. “She really knows how to build herself and empowers others. She is also very humble.”
Asare’s main piece of advice for every students is to always be authentic. Coming to college, she said it takes time for people to find themselves and know themselves well.
“Stay true to yourself,” she said. “Don’t ever try to change for anyone because people notice the authenticity, appreciate, respect and love that about yourself.”
Email Hilly Nguyen at opinions@cardinalpointsonline.com
