Torchia Communications

My experience job shadowing at Torchia Communications; Written by UofT student Ching-Ju Wang

October 21, 2020
Torchia Communications

What exactly is Public Relations? As of my time today with the staff of Torchia Communications, I’ve come to a more tangible understanding of PR. Daniel Torchia led me to the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) definition as the strategic management of relationships between an organization and its diverse publics, through the use of communication, to achieve mutual understanding, realize organizational goals and serve the public interest.

My name is Ching-Ju Wang, and I am a second-year student at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus (UTSC). While searching for enrichment opportunities on UTSC’s internal database, Career & Co-Curricular Learning Network (CLNx), I happened across a virtual Job Shadowing Orientation Session. I decided to register for and attend this event knowing absolutely nothing about the program. During the orientation I was informed of what to expect but, to be quite honest, I was still so lost.

I am just another student still trying to figure out my life. Uncertain of what the future holds, especially now with the pandemic, I am majoring in English and Psychology and minoring in Sociology. These subjects are not directly correlated with PR, but I want to expand my horizons. When browsing through the list of job shadowing opportunities/positions, ‘Media Relations, Public Relations & Measurement’ caught my eye. I have heard of the role of PR and always thought of it as someone who uses media to shape the image of a client (person, company, etc.). I came into this opportunity eager to explore different job opportunities, so that I may gain some insight to what their job entails.

My day started at 9 am with Daniel Torchia, the Managing Director. I would meet with a different member of Torchia Communications every quarter hour. At 11:15 am I took a lunch break and resumed at 1 pm for some hands-on activities, directed by Samiha Fariha, an Account Executive and my main point of contact. Then, at 4 pm I met with Daniel Torchia again to speak about my experience shadowing the staff and ask any questions. Overall, the day was very informative, and I learned a lot of practical real-world tasks in the PR field. Everyone was very friendly, welcoming, and open to answering any questions I had. I learned that the role of PR involves a lot of communication with the client and different media outlets; the employee must utilize different media forms to share the messages, news and actions of their clients.

I am grateful for this opportunity to explore different jobs with experiential learning. If given the chance, I encourage everyone to participate in opportunities like this. If nothing else, it gives you a deeper understanding of the profession being observed. Next time you see someone in PR, you know what it is they do.

 Written by Ching-Ju Wang, a second-year student majoring in English and Psychology at University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus.