PR Major, Paige Kempa, Brews Engagement for Local Coffee Shop

A person takes pictures of baked goods in a coffee shop.

Using skills from her Social Media Content Strategy classes, Kempa creates for Château Coffee Co.

By: Leila Raines

MSU’s offering of both a public relations minor and major in fall of 2020 has opened new avenues for students, allowing them to explore and enjoy the advantages of this evolving career path. Paige Kempa, a senior majoring in PR, is among the students benefiting from the comprehensive classes offered by MSU for PR Majors.

A display with newspaper clippings, instant photographs, green vines and with coffee merchandise for sale surrounds a large sign that says, "Coffee" — Kempa utilizes her PR skills to create content for Chateau Coffee Co. through her social media internship.

After starting as an elementary education major, Kempa discovered a deeper love for communication and social media through elective courses spring semester of her junior year. Currently interning in social media management at Château Coffee Co., Kempa is putting into practice the valuable insights gained from her PR courses.

In her role as an intern for Château Coffee Co., in Lansing, Michigan, Kempa actively uses various social media platforms to generate diverse content for the coffee shop. Engaging in tasks such as crafting graphics, producing videos and designing flyers, Kempa says she is gaining substantial hands-on experience and seizing every opportunity to translate her classroom learning into practical, real-world skills.

Empowered by her newfound knowledge, Kempa has thrived in her internship, achieving a remarkable 217% increase in fan engagement in a 90-day period. Additionally, her post highlighting Château Coffee Co.’s monthly coffee flight has accumulated over 134,000 views.

In the past three years, Kempa has used the knowledge gained from numerous lectures and class assignments.

“PR 225 (Writing for Public Relations) is the class that I have learned the skills used most often in my internship, and for anything PR related in general,” said Kempa. “In this class, I learned many social media posting skills, AP Style, writing using a company’s voice and more.”

Student Organizations are Giving Real-world Experience

In her PR 335 class, an assignment to craft mock social media posts in class brought her immense enjoyment, solidifying her confidence that this aspect is what she truly relishes, as opposed to generating simulated pitch emails or crisis communication statements.

Kempa says she encourages fellow students to maximize the value of lecture materials and emphasizes that “it’s OK to make mistakes, both in the classroom and during internships.”

See Kempa’s content creation in action on the Château Coffee Co.’s Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/chateaucoffeeco/reels/.