The beginning of a new year is a natural time to reset — to consider your successes and shortcomings from the last year and attack the new year with renewed vigor and passion. For young communications professionals seeking inspiration for 2016, we present some of the wise words advice from the elite professionals who were honored by PR News at its annual “PR People Awards” luncheon last month.

A few stories from my youth help reveal the sources of my professional passions.

Recently, the PRSA-NCC held a professional development panel in which reporters discussed how best to pitch them stories in the age of mobile devices. The broader topic, however, was how the rise of mobile devices has changed the way news is consumed, and how reporters themselves must approach their stories.

If you asked me what I learned at Dale Curtis Communications, I could rattle off all the tactical and strategic knowledge I gained in the past few months. I could tell you the best way to pitch stories to reporters, how to create a messaging framework, or how to build value through content curation. I could describe how to write a press release, how to prepare a client for an interview, or how to scrounge the Internet to find every relevant press contact for a media list.

But I won’t tell you any of that.

One of the blessings of the holiday season is the opportunity to reflect on the support of our family, friends and mentors. They inspire and encourage us, in good times and bad. They influence who we are, and who we become. On November 12, 2015, we had the chance to celebrate DCC’s best friends through our annual Clients and Friends Appreciation Party.

In the increasingly competitive environment in which traditional public schools, public charter schools, and private schools compete for students, strong communications can mean the difference between success and stagnation.

Hundreds of digital marketing experts descended on the Gannett & USA Today headquarters in McLean, Va. last week to connect and share best practices in cutting-edge digital marketing strategies.

The conference was Digital Summit DC (formerly “Digital East”). The following are some fascinating statistics presented by one of the Digital Summit sponsors, and are provided here as data points that we as digital marketers can use to educate our bosses, clients, and prospects.

Every fall, public relations practitioners from in and around Washington, DC come together to honor the region’s stars and their most creative, effective communications campaigns.

What awards like these demonstrate is that small firms like ours can apply smart strategies, hard work and high levels of creativity to move the needle on behalf of our clients, even if the work itself is as offbeat as “blueberry communications.”

A year ago, if someone had told me where I would be professionally today, I would have rolled my eyes in disbelief. This September marks the end of my first year at DCC, and I can’t believe all of the learning and growth opportunities I’ve received. 

Working at a small firm has given me a great career start in the communications industry. I’ve had the benefit of maintaining daily contact with every team member (including our CEO Dale) and each of our clients.

Here are three takeaways from my first year at DCC.