Rosa E. Pruneda, Public Relations & Social Media Consultant
After three years of side-hustlin’ at night and on the weekends, Rosa E. Pruneda has officially made the jump to full-time freelance life. While the decision to leave her corporate job may sound scary to those in our community, it’s a trend that’s going strong among those who identify as first-gen.
The freedom, independence, and flexibility of being your own jefa are all very real — and of course, a lot of work. But Rosa, a publicist and social media consultant based in Texas, is already thriving despite expected growing pains.
The Mexican-American creative even recently teamed up with Viva La Mujer alum, Vivian Nuñez, to host a Latinx Storytelling Mastermind course that helps others pen their story and successfully pitch it to media publications. This new venture is just another example of how Rosa wants to connect and lift those in the Latinx community.
“I am proud to represent the hard work and dedication that my immigrant parents went through to create a life for us in the U.S.,” she tells me. “Being first gen, it makes me proud that I get to be a representation of what it means to embrace the best of two worlds.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about this mujer de magia below.
Grace Gavilanes: I'd love to learn more about your career path. How did you land on pursuing a career in PR?
Rosa Pruneda: Growing up, I've always enjoyed writing and networking with mentors and others working in marketing and communications through internships, conferences, etc. During my second year in college, I switched my major from Bilingual Education to Corporate Communications because that's when I started learning about the field of Public Relations as a career path. I still had no idea what a career in PR would look like but I knew that it required lots of writing and relationship building with clients and the media. I was all in but as a first generation college student, it was all new to me and I didn't know how/where to begin.
In 2014, I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications. After graduating, I took on several jobs focused around customer service and even college admissions advising before I landed my very first internship at the global public relations and digital marketing agency, FleishmanHillard for AT&T's Latino efforts in 2016. Because I was bilingual and could create fun millennial-focused content for this client, I was hired full-time as an Assistant Account Executive and eventually got a promotion (and raise!) I remember this being a moment where I felt 100% proud to be Mexican-American and fluent in English and Spanish.
This experience is where my passion for public relations, social media and influencer relations began. Since then, I've pivoted my full-time role to consulting multicultural entrepreneurs, authors, coaches, nonprofits and small businesses in sharing their stories with the world through public relations and social media strategies.
GG: How did you make the transition to full-time freelance life? What would you say have been the hardest and most rewarding parts?
RP: In 2018, I started working at Texas Children's Hospital, one of the nation's largest children's hospitals doing social media marketing, specifically focused on creating content for underserved communities through Texas Children's Health Plan. Working in social media at Texas Children's gave me the experience of a lifetime, especially working for a hospital in the Texas Medical Center during a global pandemic. After work and on weekends, I continued taking on freelance clients for about 3 years, all focused around creating public relations strategies to amplify stories of Latina entrepreneurs. There was something truly special about this work that I couldn't let go of.
After working from home for about nine months during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, I realized that I loved the flexibility of working remotely and that it was time to bet on myself by transitioning into a full-time freelancer/consultant for multicultural clients. The hardest part was accepting that it was time to leave my 9-5 corporate job. The most rewarding part has been the freedom and growth that I've seen in myself and my business once I decided to go for it!
GG: What is your proudest accomplishment?
RP: My proudest accomplishment so far is that I was featured in a Forbes article, highlighting my work as a Latina public relations consultant. To see a recognition of this magnitude in writing and to have others celebrate my hard work and dedication (numerous unpaid internships later), was so special. My parents have this Forbes article printed and framed in their living room.
GG: Think of an obstacle you've had to overcome. How did you do it and what did you learn from it?
RP: One of the biggest obstacles that I face on a daily basis is imposter syndrome and having to remind myself that I've worked hard to be where I'm at and that I'm simply always doing my best. I've learned to always be transparent with myself and with my clients and to set accurate expectations from the get-go. As an entrepreneur, you have to get comfortable with finding your voice and using it.
GG: What does it mean to you to be Latina?
RP: I'm proud to be Latina, specifically a Mexican-American woman living in Texas. I am proud to represent the hard work and dedication that my immigrant parents went through to create a life for us in the U.S. Being first gen, it makes me proud that I get to be a representation of what it means to embrace the best of two worlds. I embrace who I am and my voice and work are a representation of that each and every day. In short, "I didn't ask to be born Latina, nada más tuve suerte." I'm not sure who said that quote but they deserve all the credit for sharing such wise words.
GG: What advice would you give to someone flirting with the idea of going freelance, but may be too nervous to jump right in?
RP: Allow yourself the freedom of pursuing freelance work outside of your 9-5/corporate job and get that extra stream of income! You won't know what you enjoy doing most unless you try it out and see how you feel. Remember that no one else is responsible for making decisions for your future and your career, so pursue that idea, pitch that client, shoot your shot and see where it takes you.
