Kerrigan Flynn
University of Nebraska at Omaha
UNO AAF Advertising Club Leader
AAF Omaha Student Ambassador
2017 AAF Omaha Scholarship Winner
With a softball in my hand and a mound beneath my feet, the diamond taught me life lessons I will never forget. Every time you fall, get back up. If you want something, put in the hard work to make it happen. Each pitch showed me accountability, confidence and leadership which translated over into my relationships and my career. At the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), I am learning the fundamentals of public relations and advertising to ready for the field.
When I decided to no longer wear my cleats, I knew I needed to be active elsewhere. That made it easy for me to join the UNO Advertising Club and the AAF Omaha student ambassador program, as well as UNO PRSSA and MaverickPR. These organizations helped me forge a path, and understand my strengths and weaknesses.
I started from the bottom and took on every project sent my direction. My willingness to get involved led me to my position as the Social Media Director and now President of the UNO Advertising Club for the upcoming year. I am also the Vice President of Publications for UNO PRSSA and Social Media Director for MaverickPR.
I work with clients such as the Omaha Press Club, the Genius of Warren Buffett UNO MBA course and the Omaha Collegiate Consortium. My favorite campaign is the Bateman Case Study Competition on mental health. The highest point of our campaign came when Mayor Jean Stothert proclaimed March 15 as College Mental Health Day in Omaha. To celebrate the proclamation, the Woodmen Tower was lit orange for the color of our campaign.
Before joining these organizations, I had no sense of direction when it came to my future, but I knew that I couldn’t stop swinging. It is because of these experiences, I know that I love writing, social media and design. Each project makes my love for the industry grow more and more.
My time in school will have the lasting impact on who I am and my mentors are a big reason for this. UNO professors and faculty advisers, Melodae Morris and Karen Weber, make each of these opportunities possible for me. I thrive in UNO’s School of Communication because they challenge me and believe in me. With them on my team, I know I will never strike out.
I am excited for my future in the industry and to be a part of many different teams. I couldn’t be more thankful for the amazing people that have pushed me to do more. Choosing advertising as a career path will always be a home run.
Kerrigan, a junior at UNO is working toward her B.S. in Communications Majoring in Journalism and Media Communications with emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising.
