Name: Naomi Abner
Degree: BA, Public relations
College: Klein College of Media and Communication 
Hometown: Lehigh Valley, PA

When Naomi Abner enrolled at Temple in 2019, she was on track to pursue a career in medicine. 

“I was good at the classes, but the passion just wasn’t there,” Abner said of her brief time as a health major.

At the time, Abner’s family was encouraging her to become a doctor. However, she embarked on another path after sneaking into the back of a public relations class and listening to the professor lecture. That spurred Abner to take an Intro to PR class and officially change her major.

“I was like this is for me,” she recalled. “This is what I want to do.”

As a public relations major, Abner has enjoyed having the opportunity to meet people during her internships and tell their stories.

The 23-year-old didn’t let the pressures of making a lengthy commute from the Lehigh Valley to Temple’s Main campus deter her from pursuing her academic goals. Abner had wanted to take online courses, but the classes she needed weren’t being offered remotely, so she ended up driving two hours each way on Tuesdays and Thursdays for classes.

“I’m a firm believer that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish and although I had certain situations that prevented me from doing certain things, I told myself I’m going to finish and make my family proud,” Abner said.

“I’m Ethiopian, so the culture taught me about never giving up, and Temple is also about perseverance. I see myself as a Temple Owl and I make sure that I come here all the time with a smile on my face.”

Abner was active on campus throughout her time at Temple. During her freshman year, she started Women on the Rise, a group that focused on empowering collegiate women in Philadelphia. Abner was also part of an information system group that tutored elementary school students and enjoyed spending time with other Ethiopian students.

Abner had the opportunity to do two internships during her senior year. She commuted from the Lehigh Valley to New York for two months to intern at Rubinstein, a strategic communications and reputation firm. Abner recently finished that internship, and credits it with making her more prepared to work in the field.

Abner is currently interning with DBTV, an entertainment streaming network, where she works on press releases and interviews TV hosts. She said many of the TV hosts have been providing her with guidance.

Now Abner is looking forward to graduating and pursuing a public relations career. She is considering moving to Miami, Florida or Los Angeles, California where she plans to gain critical experience at an agency, with the ultimate goal of launching her own digital marketing business.

As Abner reflected on her academic journey, she offered some advice to other young students just starting out.

“It’s okay to not know what you want in the beginning. “Just run your race and don’t compare yourself to another person,” Abner continued. “Everyone has their own journey.”