Sana Merchant, Southern Methodist,
is well on her way to a successful career in public relations, though she
hasn't graduated from college yet.
The corporate communications and public affairs major received two
scholarships at the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) 2010
National Conference in Washington, D.C. this past October.
Sana was the recipient of the $5,000 2010 Marcia Silverman Minority
Student Award, funded by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, as well as the
$3,000 John D. Graham Scholarship, funded by Fleishman-Hilliard. Both awards
honor high potential students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement,
leadership skills and a commitment to the public relations field.
And Sana is certainly committed to her future career. She's already completed multiple PR internships with companies such as Edelman, Robbins Brothers, the Dallas Morning News and the Marketing Arm.
However, she wasn't always so sure of her future career path.
Coming from an Indian family with a strong medical background — her
grandmother has 10 children, eight of whom are in the medical field — Sana had
initially intended on following in her family's footsteps. However, after her freshman year in college, she
found herself sitting in her advisor's office, going through the majors catalog. That's when she came across "corporate
communications and public affairs." After reading about the major and potential
careers, Sana knew this was the path she would take.
"I decided I wanted to be a public relations major so that I could
utilize my speaking and writing abilities," Sana says. "I'm a lot better at
writing press releases than I would be at extracting cavities or performing
open heart surgery."
She plans to pursue public relations in sports upon graduation, but
even now she sets high goals for her career — she wants to eventually be a
director or vice president of communications for a league or sporting entity,
and Tri Delta has already played a role in helping her on her journey.
"Holding leadership positions in Tri Delta has helped me understand valuable leadership qualities for my career," she says. "And Tri Delta has played a role in the evolution of my leadership abilities which will serve me well in the 'real world.'"
Sana has served both as the philanthropy chair and the house manager for her chapter. As the philanthropy chair, she was instrumental in starting Tri Delta Triple Play, a spring philanthropy event. She also says her leadership roles within Tri Delta have taught her to work with people, manage committees and efficiently work with a limited budget.
As for her recent accolades, Sana says winning the scholarships reminded her of why she chose to break the mold and step out of the medical bubble.
"These scholarships remind me that following my instincts was the best decision I have ever made," she says. "And they also provide me with motivation to continue working hard during my last two semesters at SMU, so that when I enter the workforce, I am as prepared as I can be."
Photo courtesy of the Southern Methodist Student Foundation and Andrew Conwell.
