Alumni Spotlight on Emma Boone
Emma. what have you been up to since you left Pinecrest?
After graduating from Pinecrest in 2012, I attended Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama where I majored in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations, and minored in Political Science. I’ve always been pretty politically inclined and love a good debate, but it wasn’t until I took an internship at Americans for Tax Reform the summer before my senior year that I knew I needed to combine my love for politics and public relations to pursue a career in the public relations/public affairs field. After returning to Samford for my senior year, I had no doubt in my mind I would end up in DC one day. My senior year, I accepted a public affairs internship at a small boutique firm in downtown Birmingham, where I received first-hand public affairs experience working on telecommunications, manufacturing and ticketing issues. I had grown to love Birmingham as the “small but big” city that it is but knew DC was where I wanted to end up. Three days after graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C. in hopes of working in public affairs or crisis management. I had applied for a couple of jobs at public affairs firms and was waiting to hear back after a second interview with one of the firms. On the 11-hour drive with my mom, I got a call from HR saying they wanted to offer me the position. I accepted the offer on the spot and started work two weeks later.
After graduating from Pinecrest in 2012, I attended Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama where I majored in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations, and minored in Political Science. I’ve always been pretty politically inclined and love a good debate, but it wasn’t until I took an internship at Americans for Tax Reform the summer before my senior year that I knew I needed to combine my love for politics and public relations to pursue a career in the public relations/public affairs field. After returning to Samford for my senior year, I had no doubt in my mind I would end up in DC one day. My senior year, I accepted a public affairs internship at a small boutique firm in downtown Birmingham, where I received first-hand public affairs experience working on telecommunications, manufacturing and ticketing issues. I had grown to love Birmingham as the “small but big” city that it is but knew DC was where I wanted to end up. Three days after graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C. in hopes of working in public affairs or crisis management. I had applied for a couple of jobs at public affairs firms and was waiting to hear back after a second interview with one of the firms. On the 11-hour drive with my mom, I got a call from HR saying they wanted to offer me the position. I accepted the offer on the spot and started work two weeks later.
Explain a little bit about your job and what you do.
I work at a public affairs firm in downtown DC. Public affairs can be difficult to explain, and it often times gets confused as public relations or lobbying. It’s pretty much a combination of both, but at the same time, neither. Sometimes I explain public affairs as “political public relations,” and people think I’m Olivia Pope, which is flattering, but not true. It’s not so much about “making someone or something look good” but rather, influencing public policy. Which of course sounds a lot like lobbying, but it’s not. It’s really a combination of strategic communications and PR aimed at influencing the conversation around public policy issues. My firm covers a wide range of “issue areas” as we call them, but I work mostly in the telecommunications, investment and financial services arenas. Each client is different and no day is the same. I’m constantly reading the news, I attend and monitor a lot events, work with different coalition groups, and do a lot of writing and media outreach.
How did your years at Pinecrest influence your career path?
My favorite classes at Pinecrest were Spanish with Senora Garcia, History with Coach Kane, Mr. Vicknair, and Ms. Falk, and Literature with Mrs. Chwat. When I first went to Samford, I had no idea what I wanted to do in terms of a career. Although I declared a major right away, I debated switching to Spanish, then Nutrition, then Psychology. At one point, I switched my minor to Spanish before switching back to Political Science.
How did Pinecrest prepare you for college and beyond?
All freshmen at Samford are required to take a public speaking class. Right off the bat, I noticed my confidence in public speaking was notably higher than my classmates, and I attribute Pinecrest’s small class sizes and encouraging, welcoming teachers to that. And of course, the Middle School Oratorical Contest!
What has it been like living in our nation’s capital during an exciting political time?
I’m not sure “exciting” is the right word. Definitely stressful, a little bit ugly, possibly exhausting, and definitely a whirlwind. I think that, arguably, this past election season was among the most unpredictable...at least outside the beltway. Everybody in the city had reason to believe we would be swearing in our first female president, and perhaps rightfully so. It was going to be business as usual inside the beltway. And then November 9th happened. It’s no surprise to say that when living in DC, the national news is your local news. Most people living in the nation’s capital are working in politics and are consumed by the 24-hour news cycle. Leading up to the election, it felt like you had to physically leave DC and make a conscious effort to not look at the news to escape the craziness. One of the reasons I love DC so much is because of the energy and passion people in this city have and how the hustle and bustle never stops. This was no different during the election, and the months leading up to it. Working so close to the White House and living on Capitol Hill, I’ve seen more protests (some peaceful, some not) than I ever thought I would. I think it’s so eye opening to see the passion that people have for certain issues. It was great to have the opportunity to step outside of my own way of thinking and consider different viewpoints and arguments. I realize that in my lifetime I may never see another election year as unique as this one and I’m so glad I got to experience it first-hand.
What is your favorite memory of Pinecrest?
The first memory that comes to mind involves Coach Coury during track season. We were sitting behind what was “the boys building” at the time, and he was prepping us for our meet that weekend. He was saying we had to take good care of our bodies and hydrate and fuel properly. A direct quote from Coach Coury was, “If you’re hungry, fine. Eat something. But maybe instead of an orange popsicle, EAT AN ORANGE!” It was so unexpected for him to say that and such a classic Coach Coury comment, it stuck with me all these years.
Was there a teacher at PA who really influenced you? Why?
Looking back, I think I had some of the best teachers at Pinecrest. From Senora Garcia always using the same inflection in her voice when she called me out for wearing nail polish, to Ms. Falk hearing me out when I wanted to complain about watching Dave Ramsey videos on how to save money efficiently, Pinecrest has some of the most caring teachers who truly invest in their students and want the best for them.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
It’s hard to say, living in a city like DC. The city is so transient and people are constantly coming and going. It’s easy to get “burnt out” here and this lifestyle isn’t for everyone. I’m not sure where I’ll be career-wise, but I’ll hopefully still be in a big, walkable city doing something I love.
What advice would you give a PA high school student?
Get out of your comfort zone - there is more to life than Cumming, Georgia. Leaving Georgia and going to a university where I knew nobody but my older sister and some of her friends, and rooming with a stranger, was one of the best things I did. Four years later, taking a huge leap of faith and moving to a city, even without a job set in stone, was also one of the best things I did. I would encourage anyone to try something new, see what’s out there and don’t limit yourself.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I’ve always been a big reader, so I try to read at least a book a month, and I’ve picked up running as a more “serious hobby.” Since moving to DC, I wanted something to focus on and to have a tangible goal to work towards, besides my job. I started training for a half marathon and have completed two since living here. I absolutely love my morning runs with coworkers around the monuments and can’t imagine not having that time for myself to organize my thoughts and get focused for a work day.
I work at a public affairs firm in downtown DC. Public affairs can be difficult to explain, and it often times gets confused as public relations or lobbying. It’s pretty much a combination of both, but at the same time, neither. Sometimes I explain public affairs as “political public relations,” and people think I’m Olivia Pope, which is flattering, but not true. It’s not so much about “making someone or something look good” but rather, influencing public policy. Which of course sounds a lot like lobbying, but it’s not. It’s really a combination of strategic communications and PR aimed at influencing the conversation around public policy issues. My firm covers a wide range of “issue areas” as we call them, but I work mostly in the telecommunications, investment and financial services arenas. Each client is different and no day is the same. I’m constantly reading the news, I attend and monitor a lot events, work with different coalition groups, and do a lot of writing and media outreach.
How did your years at Pinecrest influence your career path?
My favorite classes at Pinecrest were Spanish with Senora Garcia, History with Coach Kane, Mr. Vicknair, and Ms. Falk, and Literature with Mrs. Chwat. When I first went to Samford, I had no idea what I wanted to do in terms of a career. Although I declared a major right away, I debated switching to Spanish, then Nutrition, then Psychology. At one point, I switched my minor to Spanish before switching back to Political Science.
How did Pinecrest prepare you for college and beyond?
All freshmen at Samford are required to take a public speaking class. Right off the bat, I noticed my confidence in public speaking was notably higher than my classmates, and I attribute Pinecrest’s small class sizes and encouraging, welcoming teachers to that. And of course, the Middle School Oratorical Contest!
What has it been like living in our nation’s capital during an exciting political time?
I’m not sure “exciting” is the right word. Definitely stressful, a little bit ugly, possibly exhausting, and definitely a whirlwind. I think that, arguably, this past election season was among the most unpredictable...at least outside the beltway. Everybody in the city had reason to believe we would be swearing in our first female president, and perhaps rightfully so. It was going to be business as usual inside the beltway. And then November 9th happened. It’s no surprise to say that when living in DC, the national news is your local news. Most people living in the nation’s capital are working in politics and are consumed by the 24-hour news cycle. Leading up to the election, it felt like you had to physically leave DC and make a conscious effort to not look at the news to escape the craziness. One of the reasons I love DC so much is because of the energy and passion people in this city have and how the hustle and bustle never stops. This was no different during the election, and the months leading up to it. Working so close to the White House and living on Capitol Hill, I’ve seen more protests (some peaceful, some not) than I ever thought I would. I think it’s so eye opening to see the passion that people have for certain issues. It was great to have the opportunity to step outside of my own way of thinking and consider different viewpoints and arguments. I realize that in my lifetime I may never see another election year as unique as this one and I’m so glad I got to experience it first-hand.
What is your favorite memory of Pinecrest?
The first memory that comes to mind involves Coach Coury during track season. We were sitting behind what was “the boys building” at the time, and he was prepping us for our meet that weekend. He was saying we had to take good care of our bodies and hydrate and fuel properly. A direct quote from Coach Coury was, “If you’re hungry, fine. Eat something. But maybe instead of an orange popsicle, EAT AN ORANGE!” It was so unexpected for him to say that and such a classic Coach Coury comment, it stuck with me all these years.
Was there a teacher at PA who really influenced you? Why?
Looking back, I think I had some of the best teachers at Pinecrest. From Senora Garcia always using the same inflection in her voice when she called me out for wearing nail polish, to Ms. Falk hearing me out when I wanted to complain about watching Dave Ramsey videos on how to save money efficiently, Pinecrest has some of the most caring teachers who truly invest in their students and want the best for them.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
It’s hard to say, living in a city like DC. The city is so transient and people are constantly coming and going. It’s easy to get “burnt out” here and this lifestyle isn’t for everyone. I’m not sure where I’ll be career-wise, but I’ll hopefully still be in a big, walkable city doing something I love.
What advice would you give a PA high school student?
Get out of your comfort zone - there is more to life than Cumming, Georgia. Leaving Georgia and going to a university where I knew nobody but my older sister and some of her friends, and rooming with a stranger, was one of the best things I did. Four years later, taking a huge leap of faith and moving to a city, even without a job set in stone, was also one of the best things I did. I would encourage anyone to try something new, see what’s out there and don’t limit yourself.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I’ve always been a big reader, so I try to read at least a book a month, and I’ve picked up running as a more “serious hobby.” Since moving to DC, I wanted something to focus on and to have a tangible goal to work towards, besides my job. I started training for a half marathon and have completed two since living here. I absolutely love my morning runs with coworkers around the monuments and can’t imagine not having that time for myself to organize my thoughts and get focused for a work day.
