02 Sep 2024

PRII announces the Diploma in PR Scholarship student to secure internship with Harris PR

PRII in partnership with Harris PR and the Open Doors Initiative (ODI), is delighted to announce that Carolina Lucca is this year’s recipient of the PRII Scholarship.

As part of the PRII Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative, the scholarship is offered annually to someone from a background or community under-represented in the public relations sector and covers fees for the PRII Diploma in PR and, this year, for the first time, a nine-month paid internship with award-winning agency Harris PR. The selection process is run with the guidance and expertise of The Open Doors Initiative.

The Open Doors Initiative provides opportunities to some of the under-represented members of our society by creating pathways to work through training, education, employment, and entrepreneurship.

Carolina moved to Ireland from Brazil in 2017 and has over nine years of experience in customer service, relationship building, and gastronomy. She is now intent on pursuing a career in public relations and with the help of the Scholarship will begin the PRII Diploma along with her internship at Harris PR this month.

"Demand for public relations and strategic communications advice has been growing steadily in recent years and, as a sector that wants to employ the brightest and most creative thinkers, it needs to be recognised as open and welcoming to people from diverse backgrounds and identities," says PRII CEO Dr Martina Byrne.

She adds, "Everyday public relations teams in all sorts of organisations are tasked to reach various stakeholders and populations and that works best when the communication strategy is informed by a diversity of lived experience among those responding. This PRII Scholarship and Internship is about spreading the word that there are opportunities and good careers to be had in public relations."

Commenting on the announcement, Sonia Harris Pope, Founder and Managing Director of Harris PR, says," We set out to mark our 15-year milestone in business by establishing this initiative with the PRII and ODI hoping to help to safeguard the future of the PR industry in Ireland and provide a legacy for the years ahead. Our industry really benefits from diverse perspectives and experiences, and as Ireland continues to evolve into a more diverse and inclusive nation, so must the PR industry. At Harris PR we’re keen to invest in the next generation of talent and already have a proven commitment to supporting those new to the profession and encouraging others to consider it. We would like to see more of our peers in the industry consider how they too can take an inclusive approach to nurturing new talent.

We look forward to welcoming Carolina to our team; she immediately stood out with her enthusiasm, positivity and warmth, as well as her drive to further her studies and upweight her skillset. It’s an exciting time to join the agency with lots of interesting campaigns planned for the next few months, and I’m sure Carolina will settle right in.”

Jeanne McDonagh, CEO, Open Doors says, “The Open Doors Initiative is delighted to work with the PRII and Harris PR to create this paid internship and scholarship opportunity. It gives those who face barriers to work and education a chance to upskill and develop a career in their chosen field. It also makes for a more diverse and open workforce in this area that more closely reflects Irish society as it is now. We wish the chosen individual the best and look forward to a great partnership with all, now and into the future.”