THP 30: Christopher Evanson

Program: Public Relations & Corporate Communications
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
LinkedIn: Christopher Evanson

What are the three most important skills for someone in your profession and why?

Curiosity, empathy, and poise. It is paramount to have curiosity in the world we live in. To have an interest in different cultures, people, and communities is essential to understanding the needs of stakeholders, and how best to communicate a message to meet those needs. Empathy is fundamental for professional communicators because it adds credibility, and it is important for communicators to possess a nuanced understanding of the disparate audiences with which they interact. Lastly, poise is an essential trait that is too often overlooked. Whether one is a candidate for public office or a communicator for a fortune 500 company in crisis, poise is an ultimate characteristic of professionals.

Who (or what) has inspired you and how has your life changed as a result?

I believe in the American dream. I attended 17 schools during K-12. I was raised in difficult circumstances and had a chaotic childhood. But despite the difficult realities that my brothers and I encountered, my mother did two things that I will never forget. First, she told me that I could become the president of the United States. Second, despite being economically challenged, my mother always ensured that we had a subscription to the local newspaper. Having a newspaper at my disposal provided me with a passport to the world. Today, I am a graduate student at Georgetown University. Anything is possible in America.