Climbing the PR Ladder: Megan Wolowiec’s Journey from OU to Agency Leadership

Less than five years after graduating from Oakland University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Megan Wolowiec has worked her way up from intern to public relations manager. Now, she has reflected on her journey and shared her tips and tricks to success with current OU students.

Following her graduation in 2020, Wolowiec obtained her public relations internship at Lambert by LLYC, a PR agency in Detroit, Michigan. It is at Lambert that she received a full-time offer and two promotions in less than four years.

A year into Wolowiec’s role as a public relations manager, she credited a lot of her successes to two things: internships and knowledge of the AP Stylebook. Wolowiec says, “The AP Stylebook is my bible.” She also mentioned how her prior internship experiences at Siren and Genisys Credit Union helped to prepare and upskill her for the future.

“What I did during my internship was I made the most of it,” Wolowiec noted when reflecting on what made her prosper during her time as an intern, “Don’t limit yourself to just doing what you’re told.”

Now, as a manager, Wolowiec is the one interviewing and hiring interns at Lambert. Her key tips for nailing an interview include visiting career services, rehearsing common interview questions, dressing nicely and being confident.

“Make sure you are proud of what you are presenting,” Wolowiec added, “Always put your personal brand first.”

She has noticed the emphasis Oakland is putting on students getting internships and could not be happier about it. Wolowiec stressed the importance of getting experience while also seeing that real life jobs exist within students' interests.

Although Wolowiec seems as though she was self-assured and in total control during her days at Oakland, she looked back and wished she would have honed in on her confidence.

“I was trying to hide, I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible and did not want anyone to see me,” she reflected, “I wish I could go back and tell sophomore year Megan that she does not have to hide.”

Today, Wolowiec is leading a team and telling people what good stories are. In the last five years, she has traveled to Spain as one of three top performers in the North American branch of her company, gone to countless conferences and garnered millions of impressions for clients.

When it comes to advice on how to gain confidence and be successful, Wolowiec said, “Say yes to things that scare you!” It is in doing scary things that you learn and create new opportunities that could change your life.

Wolowiec is a great representation of the hard work, determination and dedication Oakland University produces in its students.