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Zach Zdanowicz | Public Relations | Class of 2022

As a Community Manager for JOANN Stores, Kent State alumna Zach Zdanowicz, ‘22, credits his experiences in Kent State’s Public Relations program for successfully preparing to engage with and manage the brand's digital communities every day.

During Zach’s time at Kent State, he was involved in Kent State’s chapter of the Public Relations Study Society of America (PRSSA). Through this student organization, he gained plenty of professional development and networking experiences by holding various executive board positions and eventually serving as president during his senior year.  

“The experiences that I got in the public relations program prepared me so much for what I do now,” he said. “I couldn't have wanted a better pre-professional life experience.”  

During Zach’s senior year, he began to see social media as an emerging career field and realized this was the work he wanted to pursue. After this realization, Zach sought out opportunities to start working in social media at Kent State and began applying for social media internships. Through his experiences, he learned this could be something he wanted to do full time. 

PRSSA gave him the opportunity to make a connection to his current position at JOANN, leading him to first working as an intern after graduation and eventually securing a  full-time position. Zach’s Community Manager role is part of the Social Media and Public Relations Team at JOANN. Much of his work consists of coordinating brand packages to send to social media influencers and engaging with JOANN’s online community through social media.  

“It wasn’t until my senior year that I really saw social media as an emerging field,” he said. “I was able to take the writing that I loved and apply it to a field surrounding journalism, public relations and social media.”