For Katie Bates, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day. A senior majoring in advertising, minoring in communications and working on her public relations certificate, Bates is rounding out what has been a busy four years at the University.

As well as having a heavy course load, she juggles multiple extracurricular activities, and is known mostly for recently founding the University of Illinois chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Bates first joined the Illini Public Relations Association as a member her freshman year and slowly worked her way up to president.

“Illini PRA had just started when I was a freshman,” Bates said. “It was a great outlet for me to learn about a career in public relations and gave me the opportunity for hands-on experience, working with clients.”

When one of her sisters in her sorority, Delta Gamma, told her about the national organization PRSSA, she decided to found a chapter at the University and build off of what Illinois PRA had.

With this goal in mind, Bates began the tiresome process of getting PRSSA onto the University campus.

Jan Slater, dean of the College of Media, said the main obstacle of getting the chapter approved with PRSSA was that the University doesn’t have a public relations major. However, they were able to achieve the goal through Bate’s persistence.

“What struck me about Katie and her team was how professional they were. They made their case very strong and laid out exactly what they wanted to do,” Slater said. “I supported the organization wholeheartedly and assisted in finding all the necessary matching classes so it could get approved.”

PRSSA was officially approved as a campus organization on Dec. 4, 2012 and will replace Illinois PRA. Both organizations serve the same purpose, but PRSSA provides more exposure to national networking opportunities and a wider range of resources, such as internship and job posting databases.

The organization is already working on a high-profile project — Ebertfest. Ebertfest is an annual film festival held in downtown Champaign, hosted and programmed by Roger Ebert, a renowned film critic and University alumnus. This project is a step up compared to the PR projects Illinois PRA used to do for local restaurants and RSOs, Bates said.

For EbertFest, PRSSA is planning to launch an international Instagram campaign. They have also had press releases about Ebertfest published in outlets such as the Los Angeles Times.

As the new head of this organization, Bates plans to bring the skills she has acquired from her past internship and other PR experiences to take PRSSA to the next level.

Bates has worked as an Apple campus representative, hosting workshops and participating in various sales initiatives. Through this position, she was able to visit Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

Bates was also Delta Gamma’s director of public relations sophomore year, which allowed her to write articles for the sorority’s national magazine and gain experience in promotion philanthropies on campus.

Last summer, she interned at Second City, a comedy improv club where comedians such as Tina Fey and Chris Farley started out.

“The internship was a great experience. I saw a bit of the writing and contributed to some PR campaigns,” she said. “It was just really great being in such a creative environment and it made me realize that I definitely want to work in the entertainment industry as a career.”

While she is deeply involved in her major, Bates still finds time to do what she enjoys. Last year, she joined Black Chorus, a group dedicated to singing gospel music, to continue fostering her love for music.

“Black Chorus has honestly changed my outlook on life,” Bates said. “It’s really given me a therapeutic output, especially when I’m stressed.”

Ollie Watts Davis, director of Black Chorus, commented on Bates’ dedication and attention to detail.

“Katie is an exceptional young woman,” she said. “She is a front-row singer, and while she does physically stand on the front row, her enthusiasm, bright countenance and complete commitment to giving her best performance would be attractive no matter where she stood.”

In the future, Bates hopes to move to California to find a job at an agency where she can combine her love of entertainment with her advertising skills.

“I’m not sure what specifically I want to do yet,” she said. “I’m still looking for jobs, but I know I’m very passionate about culture and traveling.”

As for the future of PRSSA, Bates hopes it will continue to thrive, expanding in membership and providing students with more opportunities for involvement in student competitions and national conferences.

Jolie can be reached at [email protected].