Since 2015, I have acted as the Professional Advisor for the Cal Poly Pomona University Public Relations Student Society of America, mentoring young adults as they transition from college students to career professionals. My students have moved on to careers in city government (City of Buena Park, CA), higher education (Cal Tech University), health (Optum Health), social media (The Social Supply), and tech companies such as Experian.
I have been able to develop events and tours in conjunction with the team, having toured Dodger Stadium and meeting with their public relations and social media teams.
Yost's experience and knowledge go hand in hand with everything he does. When I first started in the industry, his kindness and leadership shaped my expectations of what a PR professional looks like. He's always a pleasure to be around and I look forward to our collaborations. - Marie Turiel, VP, Cal Poly Pomona PRSSA
My work with the students there led me to become a part-time lecturer at California State University, San Bernardino, where I teach both lower and upper division courses at both the San Bernardino and Palm Desert campuses.
The most consistent course I teach is the Strategic Communications Practicum, also known as CoyotePR, an award-winning student-run PR and Social Media agency that serves organizations on and off campus.
Other courses have included:
Strategic Communications Campaigns
Public Relations Writing
Crisis Communications
CoyotePR has helped develop new brand kits, style guides, press releases, and social media campaigns that have grown audiences and launched new services and products on behalf of on-campus organizations and off-campus non-profit groups. The course is designed as a PR boot camp, with students taking on roles of account managers, supervisors, and coordinators, responsible for measurable results.
It has been my pleasure to be a student and mentee of Jonathan Yost. Having taken several of his courses, he has not only equipped me with the skills I need to pursue my career goals but also the confidence to do so. Yost is an exceptional mentor who leaves no question unanswered and is easy to communicate with. His affable personality always created a supportive and inclusive learning environment for my peers and I. He has guided me in my coursework as well as my professional endeavors. It is clear in his willingness to help that he is truly dedicated to the professional growth of his communications students.
- Miranda Williams, Former PR Manager, CoyotePR
Each syllabus is designed to give students both theoretical understanding and practical knowledge and skills needed to begin their communications careers. I also take into account the resources available, such as "digital check-outs" of books available through our school library.
Many past students have returned to my classes to present their PR journey to students following behind them. From students to PR pros, I am proud to see their skills develop as their careers in a variety of public and private sectors flourish.
Press Release on a gift of press monitoring software from Covered Press to CoyotePR.
