Early on in her childhood, Emma Richelsoph ’21 loved animals and aspired to one day becoming a veterinarian. As she got older, she discovered that although she still deeply cared for animals and wanted to pursue a career where she could work with them, veterinary medicine was not her ideal career choice. Ultimately, she wanted to find a way to help animals in a way that didn’t necessarily involve direct care. Within only a few months of being at URI, she discovered public relations and developed a love for the field just as strongly as her love for animals. “I chose to pursue public relations because it was a defined outlet for using creative writing in the real world. I didn’t know what public relations was until I went to college, but I enjoyed learning this succinct, informative, and creative writing style,” she says. 

In 2021, Richelsoph graduated from URI with a double major in public relations and biological sciences. Despite the unconventional pairing of majors, Richelsoph had a very clear vision of what she wanted to do and chased it head-on. “When people would ask about my major, I would tell them that I was a “public relations and biological sciences double major.” Often, the response was a slightly blank look and a “what are you going to do with that?”. I would explain that I wanted to do public relations for a zoo or an aquarium,” she says. Fast forward, and Richelsoph now works for EARTH Limited, the non-profit organization partnered with the Southwick zoo where she’s able to use public relations as an outlet for creative and informative writing while simultaneously being able to work with animals.

So what exactly does working in the social media department of a zoo look like? Richelsoph describes what her position entails by saying: “It’s my responsibility to come up with creative content, take and gather photos from zookeepers, write captions, and design presentations for monthly newsletters.” Richelsolph also has duties that go beyond public relations. When she’s not working on social media, Richelsoph administers the Junior Zookeeping program, an in-depth experience for young campers who share a mutual interest and curiosity for animals. “I greatly enjoyed educating these kids and hope that I inspired them to learn more, ask questions, and share what they’ve learned with others,” she says. Richelsoph credits her major in public relations with preparing her for her career in social media and explains how public relations has helped her reach her ultimate goal of inspiring others through writing. “Ultimately I wanted to bridge the gap between science, writing and, understandable text that people can use to learn from and be inspired to care about the world around them,” she says. With this objective in mind and the use of a public relations major, Emma Richelsoph can do just that.

~Written by Briana Ciceron