A Voice for the Voiceless

Meet 2018 Bateman Team Research Analyst and Assistant Writer Christian Barel

2018 Bateman Research Analyst and Assistant Writer Christian Barel. Photo by Aaliyah Hayes

by Aaliyah Hayes

With a constant desire to learn, an eye for aesthetics and a genuinely empathetic heart, Christian Barel is excited to lend his talents as the research analyst and assistant writer for the 2018 CSULB Bateman Team. The PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition is a national collegiate contest that allows public relations students the opportunity to research, plan, implement and evaluate a full public relations campaign for a real client. This year the client is With Purpose, a national youth-lead charity dedicated to conquering childhood cancer.
“I entered the Journalism and PR Department wanting to be a voice for the voiceless; and now is my opportunity to raise awareness for childhood cancer treatments,” said Christian Barel, CSULB senior majoring in journalism with an emphasis in public relations. “Putting yourself in the perspective of the organization and empathizing with the mission is something I am totally all about.”
Barel is no stranger to working on meaningful campaigns for non-profit organizations. He currently interns for Special Olympics Southern California where his duties include writing blog posts that inform people of volunteer opportunities and donation efforts, as well as researching ideas for campaigns. He also works with the event planning committee to help coordinate various Special Olympics events in Southern California.

Besides being passionate about the meaningful campaign and non-profit client for Bateman this year, Barel wanted to join the Bateman team as a way to be more involved with the campus community and people in the public relations industry. He sees this as a great way to not only network but to learn from the people that he’s working alongside, as well as those who have gone before him.

“Our team is full of creatives and just amazing people in general,” said Barel. “I hope to get knowledge from my coaches, teammates and even competitors.”
Barel feels another aspect he has to offer the team is creativity, and his Instagram account accurately reflects just that. He has a meticulous eye for detail and keeps a consistent aesthetic to his account. He jokes that he is a wannabe influencer, but Instagram is ultimately a place of self-expression for him.
With a team full of talented and creative people, Barel is hopeful that they will be able to feed off of each other’s energy and innovation to create a successful campaign. He is mostly excited for his position on the team as the Research Analyst because research is something he is discovering that he really enjoys. He used to Google random things for fun and didn’t realize that his hobby of always being informed has turned him into a skilled researcher, which has emerged in his schoolwork and now the Bateman Team.
The two Bateman coaches this year are Public Relations Professor Jennifer Newton and Public Relations Professional Allison Miller. Since taking classes with Prof. Newton and feeling extremely comfortable with Miller in the interview process, Barel feels his coaches are fun, positive and supportive people who he looks forward to learning from.
“Another reason why I wanted to join the team is so that I can be a proponent in getting the word out there,” said Barel. “I want to be able to advocate for the mission and cause of With Purpose.”
With Purpose has an ambitious goal to improve funding and treatment options for childhood cancer. The organization is unique in that it is youth-led, which means that the target audience for the campaign will be college students, like the team members themselves. Through advocacy and increased awareness, there are limitless possibilities to what can be accomplished with this campaign and by our 2018 Bateman Team.
Best of luck to all the team members. We look forward to supporting your campaign for With Purpose!