{"id":234794,"date":"2026-05-21T12:46:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=234794"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:05:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:05:45","slug":"first-public-relations-certificate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/21\/first-public-relations-certificate\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumna earns first UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Certificate in Principles of Public Relations"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>
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McKenzie Kurosu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

McKenzie Kurosu is the first University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> communication<\/a>\/journalism<\/a> graduate to earn a Certificate in Principles of Public Relations<\/a>. It is issued by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB<\/abbr>), which is operated by the Public Relations Society of American (PRSA<\/abbr>). The certificate demonstrates a fundamental competency and knowledge for college graduates entering the public relations profession.<\/p>\n

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McKenzie Kurosu with UH<\/abbr> President Wendy Hensel and fellow spring 2025 graduate Quentin Shores<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kurosu is a May 2025 College of Social Sciences<\/a> graduate who double majored in communication and journalism from the School of Communication and Information<\/a>. She received the certificate in December 2025 after taking required courses and passing an exam.<\/p>\n

“This certificate really helps bridge the gap between what you learn in a classroom and real-world applications,” said Kurosu. “Having this on a résumé helps you stand out to recruiters, and serves as a great first step to pursue an APR<\/abbr> (Accreditation in Public Relations) designation later in your career.”<\/p>\n

Public relations or related majors may apply for the certificate, but must be members of PRSA<\/abbr> or student chapters of UAB<\/abbr> participating organizations. At UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>, Kurosu completed the public relations coursework while serving as a vice president and director of communications of the David A. Ward chapter of PRSSA<\/abbr> (Public Relations Student Society of America). Kurosu said belonging to PRSSA<\/abbr> was a career-defining experience.<\/p>\n

“Beyond the leadership roles, I had the chance to travel to California for the ICON<\/abbr> conference, and network with professionals and peers who share my passion for the industry,” she said.<\/p>\n

For more information about the certificate and to check eligibility, visit this website<\/a> or contact PRSSA<\/abbr> faculty advisor Ji Young Kim at jkim22@hawaii.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The certificate demonstrates a fundamental competency and knowledge for college graduates entering the public relations profession.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":234803,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[679,301,661,692,1466,741,1026,1721,9],"class_list":["post-234794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-college-of-social-sciences","tag-communications","tag-journalism","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-school-of-communications","tag-social-science","tag-social-sciences","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t