PRSSA Long Beach and CSULB Bateman Team to Bring Purpose to Case Study Competition

2018 Bateman Case Study Competition is underway, with youth-led non-profit, With Purpose, as client

2018 Bateman team members Bianca Granado, Diana Martinez, Kevin Olivares, Christian Barel and Hetty La

By Luis D. Marquez

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as CSULB students get ready to proudly
represent our school in PRSSA’s 2018 Bateman Case Study Competition. For those of
you who are not familiar with the Bateman Competition, it is PRSSA’s premier national
case study competition for public relations students and gives the competing students
an opportunity to apply their classroom education and internship experiences to create
and implement a full public relations campaign. In other words, it is basically Journalism
471 but with implementation, collegiate competition and a lot more recognition on the
line. Or, as I like to think of it, it’s like the Triwizard competition in Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire but less of having our students’ lives in danger.

The client that our CSULB team will be working hard to create a masterful and
compelling campaign for is the non-profit With Purpose, a youth-lead national charity
dedicated to conquering childhood cancer. With Purpose was created by loving parents
who had to go through something no parent should go through - losing a child to cancer.
Their son, Sam, had two rare diseases, one of which – a fatal brain cancer - took his
life. Because Sam was only 2 years old when he was diagnosed, the doctors told his
parents that Sam was not eligible for any drugs in clinical trials that could have
prolonged his life, improved its quality or even cured his cancer. This did not make
sense to Sam’s parents. They wanted to do more; so they started With Purpose.
With Purpose aims to increase awareness of the astounding lack of research and
funding there is for childhood cancer. They know that with the power of today’s youth,
grassroots activism and a targeted philanthropic mission they can help children that are
currently suffering. Their efforts are creating hope and working towards decreasing the
amount of children suffering by helping to push potential cures through to clinical trials.
With Purpose is a small organization now, but with the help of our CSULB Bateman
team that can truly grow.

Our champions, who have gone through a rigorous interview process, have volunteered
to take on the task of helping With Purpose reach its maximum potential and proving
that CSULB still has what it takes after 22 years of competition. CSULB has placed first,
second, third or honorable mention in 15 out of the last 22 competitions…no pressure.
The first-place team will receive $3,500 and a trophy, second place will receive $2,500
and a plaque, and third place will receive $1,500 and a plaque.
The 2018 PRSSA-LB Bateman Team is comprised of:

● Team Leader Bianca Granado, CSULB senior majoring in journalism with an
emphasis in public relations (anticipated graduation May 2018)

● Creative Director Diana Martinez, CSULB senior majoring in journalism with an
emphasis in public relations (anticipated graduation May 2018)

● Media Relations Manager Kevin Olivares, CSULB senior majoring in journalism with
an emphasis in public relations (anticipated graduation May 2018)

● Head Writer and Content Creator Hetty La, CSULB senior majoring in journalism with
an emphasis in public relations (anticipated graduation May 2018)

● Research Analyst and Assistant Writer Christian Barel, CSULB senior majoring in
journalism with an emphasis in public relations and minoring in marketing (anticipated
graduation May 2018)

“With Purpose is an organization we feel strongly about. We will do everything we can
to help them raise awareness about childhood cancer and get more youth involved in
the cause,” said Team Leader Bianca Granado. “We are excited to follow in the
footsteps of the past CSULB Bateman teams and are determined to win!”

The team will be co-coached by CSULB Journalism and Public Relations (JPR)
Professor Jennifer Newton and Public Relations Professional Allison Miller. Both
Newton and Miller are CSULB JPR alumni who were on the 2001 PRSSA-LB Bateman
Team, placing third in the national competition with their PR plan for Visa.

“We are so excited to help promote With Purpose through this year’s Bateman
Competition. Their mission mirrors our own in that we absolutely believe that with the
right resources, young people can do anything -- even cure cancer!” said Jennifer
Newton, CSULB 2018 Bateman co-coach. “We have a team comprised of bright and
passionate students who are excited to get started and make a difference in the Long
Beach community, on behalf of With Purpose.”

The Bateman Team’s work starts immediately. They will be conducting research and
planning November through February, then teams will implement their ideas February
through March, with final entries due to PRSSA Headquarters in April.
Let us applaud this set of individuals, our CSULB PRSSA-LB Bateman Team, and wish
them the best of luck.

Go Beach!