Karin Bloomquist is the student Special Projects Apprentice for the Center for Social Impact Communication (CSIC) at Georgetown University. She works closely with the team to provide support on CSIC’s priority corporate responsibility and communication projects – ranging from external promotion to impact gathering. Karin is a graduate student at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, working towards obtaining a master’s degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communications and will be graduating in May 2015.
Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Center for Social Impact Communication: How did you first hear about the Center for Social Impact Communication (CSIC)?
Karin Bloomquist: The first time I heard about CSIC was when I was researching graduate schools. At the time I applied to the PR/CC program, I was working for ICF International on their strategic communications and marketing team doing energy communications. Through my energy work, I developed an interest in sustainability and through volunteering, I became interested in understanding nonprofit/corporate partnerships and its impact on business practices. Georgetown PR/CC and CSIC offered opportunities for research in social impact and corporate social responsibility, and it was then that I realized that not only did I want to apply to the program, but also I wanted to take social impact focused classes and find out how to get involved with the center.
CSIC: What has been your favorite part of serving as CSIC Student Apprentice?
KB: My favorite part of serving as CSIC’s student apprentice is being a go-to resource for other students. I enjoy finding new ways to report social impact both at Georgetown and in the community. It’s nice to be able to talk to other students at the School of Continuing Studies about the work CSIC is doing and play a part in increasing visibility on key projects.
CSIC: What project are you the most proud of?
KB: I am most proud of all the ads that I created for The Social Strategist Project. I learned a lot of insights on social impact communications while making the ads, but mainly, it makes me happy to know that these ads will continue long after I graduate from Georgetown! I also enjoyed helping the CSIC team brainstorm for the first, social impact career field trip, which was a huge success!
Do you have any advice for students about engaging with CSIC?
KB: My advice for students looking to engage with CSIC is, first and foremost, take CSIC courses offered by our program! I had some of the most valuable experiences of my entire time at Georgetown with courses like Cause Consulting and Communication for International Development. There are so many CSIC courses that allow you opportunities to build and grow your social impact communications skill set that it would be a shame to miss out on taking at least one of them!
CSIC: We know you’re gearing up for graduation soon—congratulations!—what are your plans for after graduation?
KB: Thank you! After Georgetown, I hope to transition my previous professional experience into a full time position in the corporate social responsibility/sustainability communications space and would eventually like to relocate to the west coast. As for my immediate plans, I am looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the weekends again!