KINGSTON, R.I.- October 20, 2016- During her time at the University of Rhode Island, senior public relations major and Brazil native who now lives in East Greenwich, R.I., Leticia Simone, has witnessed the rapid evolution of the Harrington Hub for Global Leadership in Communication and Media and is excited about its future.

Simone said that thanks to the cooperative efforts of faculty, students, staff and Harrington School Executive Advisory Board members, the program is now more responsive and innovative.

“ Required classes are more available, and advising has been made stronger,” she said.  “Advisors work hard to help students register for the classes they need to graduate on time. The Harrington Hub is an incredible addition to a school that has grown tremendously.”

When asked what the Harrington School’s greatest asset is, she has a simple and emphatic answer. “It’s our professors. The public relations field requires specific skills, and one major advantage of the school is that we learn from people with real-world experience,” she said.  “The professors are so friendly and easy to talk to. They have a vast understanding of what the public relations field is and they are more than willing to share that with students.”

In addition to having professors who are willing to go above and beyond, Simone has taken full advantage of other resources available to her as a Harington School student. For the opening of the new Harrington Hub for Leadership in Global Communication and Media, Oct. 21 at 11 a.m., Simone will be the featured student speaker. She is working as an intern with Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Harrington School director Adam Roth, and Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Hollie Smith. She has found herself fully immersed in her role as an intern and, among many other tasks, she helps promote the Harrington Hub through social media. She will be the featured speaker during the official opening.

After getting a sneak peek at the new Hub, Simone said,  “People will step into it and see a whole world of possibility. They can rent video cameras, use the screening room, and take advantage of the new active learning rooms. The focus on globalization of communication will help students and faculty reach out to professionals and students across the nation and across the globe.”

Eventually, Simone hopes that the resources that have been made available to her at the University of Rhode Island will help her land a career working for a major sports team. Her goal is to help plan charity and philanthropic events for a National Football League team and then use this experience to run events for nonprofit organizations.

“My hope is that throughout this year and with the opening of the Hub, people will gain a better understanding of what public relations is, and the wide range of other communication opportunities that the Harrington School has to offer,” Simone said.

Olivia Ross, an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at URI and public relations major, wrote this press release.