He loves sneakers. He loves basketball. What better way for Doug Rusinek '09 to find his niche than by promoting both?

The public relations major continued an impressive Oswego trend by becoming the fifth student in the past three years to make it as a national finalist for the PRWeek Student of the Year competition, which took place in February in New York City.

While honored by the finalist bid, Rusinek saw this competition not only as a chance to win, but also as a learning experience.

"[PRWeek] was interesting," Rusinek said. "It taught me skills needed to be a PR professional."

The path to PRWeek for Rusinek began in his advanced public relations class with communications professor Tina Pieraccini. Pieraccini submitted the campaign entries of all her students, and Rusinek's definitely caught some attention.

For his campaign, Rusinek made a proposal to executives from Hill & Knowlton, a public relations firm, to design a PR program intended to improve Adidas' basketball market share and increase the company's exposure during the 2009 NBA All-Star Week.

While Rusinek did not come home with first-place honors, he did return with more insight on what it takes to succeed in the industry.

Rusinek arrived at Oswego as a transfer student from Erie Community College. The Lancaster native had visited friends at Oswego, really enjoyed the campus atmosphere, and decided to make it his new home.

"Everyone here is so diverse," Rusinek said. "I'm always meeting different people, and it's not what you expect in Upstate New York."

While he wouldn't mind making a career out of public relations, his experience in the PRWeek competition revealed his interest in creating marketing campaigns.

"There's a lot more fun to be had," Rusinek said. "You can be more creative, which allows you to do more than just tell someone else's story."

-- Steve Duby '09

PHOTO CAPTION:
Doug Rusinek '09 and communication studies Professor Tina Pieraccini look over Rusinek's marketing campaign for a PRWeek competition.

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