Sang Lee
Public Relations
Class of 2018
What do you love about your current position?
Problem-solving every day. In the world of crisis comms no two days look the same and the unexpected scenarios you jump into are the most stimulating part of my job.
How are you using the skills that you learned at Moody in your current role?
At Moody, you get to dabble in different disciplines of comms while simultaneously having the option to focus on a specialty (i.e. Texas Creative/Media, RTF, etc.). The ability to bounce between being a generalist and specialist is an extremely helpful skill, especially in communications, and it's a skill that's helped me continue to grow in my career.
What are some favorite projects you've worked on in your role?
I'm very new to my latest role (3 weeks in!) and slowly ramping up. What I can share is that I'm most looking forward to helping strengthen the crisis communications strategy across Expedia Group's suite of brands (which includes brands such as Expedia.com, Vrbo & Hotels.com).
Were you involved in student orgs on campus?
Yes. In college, I thought I wanted to be an event planner, which led me to join Texas Belles. I was also a part of Texas PRSSA, which I consider a rite of passage if you're a PR major at Moody.
You don't need to have everything figured out before graduation. The pieces of career-oriented experience I collected during my time at Moody seemed more like a scatter plot but looking back, they were all necessary steps that led me to exactly where I am today.
What advice do you have for #TEXASMoody students?
You don't need to have everything figured out before graduation. The pieces of career-oriented experience I collected during my time at Moody seemed more like a scatter plot but looking back, they were all necessary steps that led me to exactly where I am today. Stars will eventually align. You just need to have a bit of patience and trust the journey.
What do you miss most about Moody College?
At the risk of sounding like a nerd, our career center! Students, take advantage of all of the free resources/programs while you are able to! Of course, I also really miss being a part of the Moody community - I think we had such a special culture that felt both relaxed and creative. It's a vibe that I feel like no other schools at UT could replicate.
Can you talk about your career path?
I started my career at @bumble in 2018 as their first PR intern! A month after my internship, I transitioned full-time and spent 4.5 years before hopping over to Expedia. In the early days of my time at Bumble, I was focused on supporting more consumer/lifestyle PR activities. As the company grew, I also evolved into a corporate communications role where I got to lead programs that enhanced and protected Bumble's corporate reputation. My work covered areas such as selective executive communications, social impact announcements (open-sourcing of Bumble's industry-leading cyberflashing detection tool and launching National Domestic Violence Awareness Month initiatives) as well as supporting crisis management during high-profile events such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
What classes/professors helped the most?
Writing for Public Relations with Dave Junker
IG/Twitter handle/LinkedIn: @singasanglee/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sang-lee-803849128/