When Karen Cole was a little girl she would often visit her mother’s homeland, Venezuela, with her family. One day while sitting on an outside patio at a café, she had an experience that would shape who she was forever.
Cole watched as the waiter approached with their sandwiches. Her stomach was growling but the breeze felt good as it rustled her curly brown hair and mixed with the heat of the afternoon. As she devoured her food, she noticed a little boy pulling on her aunt’s sleeve. He couldn’t have been more than five years old, close to her own age. In Spanish, he asked her aunt, “Can I have a bite of your sandwich? Please let me have a bite of your sandwich!”
Karen was confused; where were the little boy’s parents? She looked around but didn’t see anyone with him. “Why does he want food; why is he doing that?” she asked her aunt.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have enough to eat and don’t have what you have,” her aunt answered. “So be thankful.”
The memory of the boy begging for a bite of sandwich always stuck with her. When she was young, she would help her friend’s church groups with canned food drives or whatever else came her way. At the time, she had no idea what direction her life would take. She wanted to be a veterinarian. She loved animals; and had posters of them all over her walls.
Cole said, “That fell by the wayside pretty quickly when I realized the technicalities [of being a veterinarian].”
After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish from the University of Georgia, Cole struggled about what to do next.
“A lot of my friends knew the path but I didn’t know the path,” she said. “I had one friend who was great at science and math; she was going to be an astronomer. I had another friend who also knew she was going to be in the science field and she went after that. She knew what she was going to be.”
Next Cole got a job as a grant coordinator for the Marcus Institute, a center for children with developmental disabilities. She said it seemed like a good fit. Although she didn’t know exactly which direction to go with her career, she liked that she was still doing something good for kids.
While Cole was at the Marcus Institute, her office just happened to be next to the public relations office. She was able to help the manager with a few things here and there and found the job interesting. She decided to quit her job and attack public relations full force by attending Georgia State University as a graduate student.
Cole landed her dream job with UPS in 2003 while still in school; she got it through a networking and resume critique event held by the Georgia State Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which she was President of at the time. Today, as a successful graduate, she gives back to the students of Georgia State by volunteering as the Professional Advisor for PRSSA.
Cole views her role as bridging the gap between the student chapter of PRSSA and the professional chapter. She gives students advice and helps connect them with professionals. She said, “It wasn’t that long ago that I was at Georgia State. So, I feel like I can relate to some of the challenges that Georgia State students face and I want to help them.”
She enjoys talking with students, and will often meet with them over lunch to chat about their concerns. She said a lot of students are worried about how they are going to find a job; but they also ask for advice about things like resumes, portfolios, internships, and interviews.
Joe Trahan, the faculty advisor for PRSSA said, “She gives us sage professional advice and leads by example; her actions speak volumes. I’m just so impressed with her; she gives the students a tremendous role model.”
With the image of the little boy begging for one bite of food close to her heart; Cole volunteers for other organizations in her spare time. “You always gain so much more than you think,” she said. “You think you’re going to give something to someone; but you always end up benefiting from something, always.”
Cole is currently training to run a half marathon to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. The race is dedicated to her best friend who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in October, just three weeks before her wedding day. Cole said she’s never run so much in her life; and is writing a blog about her training experiences.
To read Cole’s blog or donate visit: http://www.teampurpletrain.blogspot.com/
Successful Georgia State alumna lends helping hand to students
Published: Monday, February 8, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 11:02
 "Photo: N/A")
Georgia State graduate Karen Cole is now volunteering as the Professional
Be the first to comment on this article!