I have just returned to Denver from the annual gathering of PROI Worldwide, which was May 9 to 11 in New York. MGA has been a member of PROI since 1992, and it was incredible to see how our network continues to grow in global reach and sophistication.

MGAers and representatives from our client, Vaisala, hit the red carpet last week at the annual PRSA Colorado Gold Pick Awards. MGA and Vaisala took home a Gold Pick for Media Relations – Business to Business and a Silver Pick for Advertorials for the Vaisala Across America tour. We were also honored to see our own Matt Rodriguez receive the Joe Fuentes Rookie of the Year Award.

My name is Jordan Dolph, and I was a PRSA Colorado Shadow Day student last week at MGA Communications. I am currently a senior at Black Hills State University, studying mass communications with a focus in public relations. I want share my Shadow Day experience with you.

A few months ago, I was going through the motions of a normal day of classes up at Colorado State University, where I am currently a junior double majoring in journalism (with a concentration in public relations) and apparel merchandising. As my teacher finished up the day’s lecture notes, he handed out a flyer for PRSA Colorado Shadow Day 2013. As a student in this field and member of the PRSSA chapter at CSU, I am always looking for new opportunities to expand my knowledge and real-world experience outside the classroom, so I jumped at the chance to shadow a professional at an agency in Denver.

MGA is proud to once again participate in PRSA Colorado’s annual Shadow Day, hosting two students today and sharing our knowledge about the public relations profession. To celebrate Shadow Day and promote resources available to them, we thought we’d also put a spotlight on resources available through the Council of Public Relations Firms.

How often have you said, or heard someone say, “I’m not a math person?” It’s a commonly used phrase often accepted at face value. Greg Whitney, founder of the recently-opened National Museum of Mathematics, or MoMath, in New York City, says it doesn’t have to be this way. Talking to a reporter from the New Yorker, he equates it to learning to drive. “It’s not as though some people just shrug and say, ’I’m not a car person,’ and then they have to take the bus.”

Having just spent a snowy Saturday reading Time magazine’s exposé on the cost of health care in America, “Bitter Pill – Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us,” I am both horrified and encouraged.  I will address my sense of encouragement first; it’s easier. Whether you get your media in print or online, this article is proof positive of the continued importance of a strong media to an informed society. Thank you, Time, for giving this much space in your March 5th issue to an extremely enlightened piece on health care costs in America. Now on to my horror.

The largest public relations industry trophy—at least in terms of sheer enormity—has made its way to the MGA office. With a little help from our friends (and former MGA employees), our team, the Mike Gaughan Assassins, delivered the highest score in this year’s PRSA Colorado Geeks Who Drink Tournament.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports minority births are a majority for the first time in U.S. history. As of July 1, 2011, 50.4 percent of our nation’s population less than one year old was minorities. This milestone includes births among Latinos, blacks, Asians and those of mixed race.

Leadership can be trying. It can test you in ways you never realized and provide opportunities to learn and grow in ways that you might not otherwise experience. This year, I have the great privilege to serve as president of the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Through next May, I am also serving as president of my homeowner’s association. There are thousands of books written about leadership. I’m no Colin Powell or Deepak Chopra, so here’s a short version of what I’ve learned so far this year: