Alumni Spotlight
Kellie Walton
by Abby Zupa, student PR Intern
Franklin,TN native Kellie Walton graduated from Mississippi State with a bachelor's degree in communication and a concentration in public relations in 2016. After graduating from MSU, Walton worked for different PR firms for about six years, realizing hospitality and tourism was quickly becoming her favorite industry with which to work. After writing for her local tourism department and wanting something different, Walton quit her job to become a freelance writer. Over the years she has written for National Geographic, Veranda, Cosmopolitan, OpenTable and more.
Walton says over the past four years she has been pitching stories and has chosen to write about the South, leading her to launch her own magazine, Modern South, in December 2024. The magazine features food, travel, lifestyle, historical pieces and a fresh take on Southern culture.
Throughout her time as a student at MSU, Walton says the class that has helped her most with her career was Interviewing in Communication and her capstone class, Public Relations in Organizations.
“Having hands-on experience working with a client and putting together a PR plan and a social media plan helped me learn what part of PR I was good at and what parts I wasn’t,” Walton said. “In my interviewing class we learned how to interview for a job, and we also put together a resume and cover letter. It was such a fun class, and I feel like I learned so much because it offered real life skills I could apply immediately.”
What is your best piece of advice for college students post graduation?
Don’t get bogged down with thinking you have to have your dream job immediately, instead trust the process. When I started my first job out of school I was in a sales role and didn’t like it but I embraced it, learned what I could and then stepped into different positions that led me to where I am now.
What is the most valuable lesson you learned during your time within the Communications department?
The PR umbrella is so big, the communication industry, or the job does not have a one size fits all. There are just so many opportunities out there, so I think it’s really important to keep your eyes and ears open while you are in the department,try to ask as many questions as you can and learn from as many people as you can, really exploring what types of careers are out there.
Besides school, what other things were you involved in during your time at MSU?
I managed the hockey team at Mississippi State. It wasn’t even a club sport and we played games all over the south. It was a huge commitment but it was so much fun. I was also a Tri Delta.