For Benjamin Ladrillono, a senior majoring in public relations, the phrase, “Be different. Be the difference,” which he developed as a response for a fellowship program application, exemplifies his past, present and future goals in life.
“My Filipino heritage and culture makes me who I am,” Ladrillono said. “Everyone is different and at some point you have to embrace it in order to succeed in what you want to do. The moment you embrace being different, you can make the difference.”
At just 22, Ladrillono has met with CEOs of nationally acclaimed companies, been mentored by top PR executives and interned for countless organizations and political campaigns, which is not too shabby for the senior, who came into college with the dream of becoming a lawyer.
“I had a major meltdown when I decided not to pursue that path because I had this goal of going to law school my entire life,” Ladrillono said. “Then I decided one day, ‘Oh, I’m not going to do it,’ and it kind of shook my world.”
Ladrillono said he decided on public relations at the off-handed suggestion of a friend at Bama Bound after he realized the University did not offer a pre-law major. By the end of his sophomore year, after taking only one introductory public relations course, Ladrillono had landed an internship in his hometown of Huntsville, Ala., doing PR for the Huntsville Museum of Art.
“It was early in my PR career, and now its on the bottom of my resume, but it is probably my favorite internship I’ve done because it taught me what the field was like for the first time,” Ladrillono said.
In the same year that Ladrillono completed his first internships in the PR field and decided to continue to pursue the major, he received the LAGRANT Foundation scholarship, which is awarded to 24 ethnically diverse college students nationwide in the fields of advertising, marketing or public relations. Ladrillono went on to win the scholarship again the following year.
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to get the scholarship because I had still had no idea what PR was,” Ladrillono said. “I won a scholarship that I wasn’t even supposed to win.”
As part of the award, Ladrillono travelled to Washington, D.C., to attend a workshop hosted by APCO Worldwide, where he met and formed a relationship with Pam Edstrom, a founder of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, the top PR firm for technology.
Ladrillono said the connections he made at the LAGRANT scholarship workshops further fueled his passion for networking.
“I get a high off of it. I love meeting people, especially when they’re important,” he said. “I truly believe that the business field isn’t about what you do; it’s more about who you know.”
In taking on so many roles and projects related to his passion for public relations, Ladrillono said he has had to make some sacrifices.
“I did show choir for three years and stopped doing it because I got too busy,” he said. “It was hard for me to let go, but I knew it had to be done for me to really get started on what I had to do in life. I love the field I’m in, and I wouldn’t change it.”
Ladrillono said the values of humility, generosity and hard work emphasized by his parents will play an important role in his future professional and personal life post-graduation.
“I wouldn’t have this motivation and drive if it weren’t for them really pushing me through it all,” he said.
Tracy Sims, instructor and co-director of the Undergraduate Advising Program in the department of advertising and public relations, said she believes through his character and work ethic, Ladrillono will have no problem excelling in the public relations field.
“Benjie is a go-getter,” she said. “He is not the type to rest on his laurels but instead seeks ways to grow intellectually. He is quick to offer help where it is needed and is dependable to finish whatever he starts, not just meeting expectations but exceeding them.”
Ladrillono said the support of his family, friends and the faculty at the University, coupled with his own motivation to be the best in all his endeavors, has been instrumental in his success in public relations while at the University.
“I love knowing that what I did actually matters,” he said. “I didn’t want to come to college and think of myself as going to college to have fun and then starting work later. I kind of wanted to leave a mark. I wanted to be more than just a college student.”
