PAC Alumni Spotlight: Maggie Martin

For Maggie Martin, a recent PAC graduate who double majored in public relations and political science, using communication to “help people accomplish their unifying goals” is her passion. Communicating is a human-centric and personal process for Martin, and the PAC program helped her understand how to prioritize a community’s interests in her work. “As a communicator, I always want to be empathetic and know that I am curious about my audience,” said Martin.  

Although one of her majors was political science, the PAC program helped Martin realize her career path may fall beyond the political field. “My dream job would be communicating for an organization, whether for-profit or nonprofit, that helps people address some kind of problem or issue they are facing,” said Martin. Public service in an “organizational capacity” is Martin’s goal, so she is also interested in working with partnerships in which private companies fulfill public contracts. 

The PAC program helped Martin explore numerous different career paths, but she said the courage she has to try new things comes from her mother. “She’s always encouraged me to just try and do things that make me uncomfortable, just for the sake of being OK with being uncomfortable,” said Martin.  

Her mother’s advice also helped Martin navigate her academic and professional life. “I can be very anxious, second-guess and overthink, and she just pushes me to stand firm in my capacity, my abilities, and know my worth,” said Martin. This encouragement helped Martin feel excited about the future career she hopes to find in public affairs communications.  

Martin recently landed an internship with a public relations firm in Atlanta, Georgia, called Communications 21, and she said the instruction she received in her PAC classes was indispensable in her job search. “My writing samples from PAC coursework gave me such a solid foundation when applying to internships,” said Martin.  

Martin will soon start her master’s program in journalism and mass communication with a concentration in public relations at Grady College, and she wants to stay in the Southeast to be close to her family after earning her degree. In the next few years, Martin hopes to enter a role that allows her to be “intertwined within the community so that the campaigns and communications will be hands-on and have an impact,” rather than work for a big company.  

 Martin’s experiences in the PAC program taught her that empathy and care for others has a place in the communications world and shaped her professional goals. “PAC helped me realize that public relations is not just another way to say marketing or advertising—I really like that PAC focuses on the people and the public and how the communications can serve them,” said Martin.