You might have noticed two new names posting recently on The Alchemist: Erika Lam and Heather Papsun. Both of them are part of the 2009 fellows group here in New York.

I thought it might be a good opportunity to introduce all of them, as way to encourage them to come join The Alchemist community. So please give them a nice warm welcome in the comments section:

Erika Lam
Favorite Quote: "Pressure is a privilege"
Why I Became a Fellow: I've worked in government (Washington, D.C.) for the past two summers and I'm ready for a more fast-paced, lively environment.  Plus, being a part of the Ketchum Fellowship not only puts me in New York for the summer (first timer!), but it also gives me a feel for how a global agency runs and allows me to meet some wonderful, intelligent people along the way.

Liney Arnorsdottir
Favorite Quote: "Cogito ergo sum" - Descartes 
Why I Became a Fellow: Choosing THE PR firm for an internship was a pretty logical choice as I just graduated with a MA in public relations. I'm taking this opportunity as a ten week long job interview, so hopefully, I'll still be around come September!

Sean Flynn
Favorite Quote: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible” - Walt Disney
Why I Became a Fellow: I chose to work in a PR firm for the summer because I think the work is interesting,  challenging, and ultimately what I want to make a career out of. It didn’t hurt that my office is located in the greatest city in the world, either.

Heather Papsun
Favorite Quote: "Live every week like it's Shark Week."- Tracy Jordan, "30 Rock"
Why I Became a Fellow: I'm lucky because I realized early on in college that I wanted to pursue PR as a career, so I've been very involved in PRSSA and explored various internship opportunities along the way. Ketchum has always been a name professionals and professors speak about with the absolute highest regard, and I applied to the Fellowship Program to learn from the best of the best! So far, the experience has certainly been living up to and even exceeding my expectations! 

Nawal Fakhoury
Favorite Quote: "Reputation is for time; character is for eternity." - J.B. Gough 
Why I Became a Fellow: I have been blessed with the opportunity to spend past summers devotedly viewing the World Cup and exploring Spain, and my final undergraduate summer needed to be a comparable, thrilling environment. Ketchum has already provided the atmosphere that will allow me to define my enthusiasm for the public relations field. There seems to be no better place to discover the power of creativity and simplicity of co-workers being Kickball mates.

Jessica Riady
Favorite Quote: "Be Silly. Be Honest. Be Kind." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Why I Became a Fellow: I chose a PR Firm for my summer internship with the hope of combining two of my academic interests, politics and communications, in the workplace. This is exactly one of the things I get to do working in corporate practice's cross-border communications group. I am really excited for this summer!

Brianna Barzola
Favorite Quote: "Life move's pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Why I Became a Fellow: There's no better place to witness, create, and contribute to new trends in business and media!

Julia Smith
Favorite Quote: "Attitude: the difference between ordeal and adventure." - Holly Bird
Why I Became a Fellow: I just graduated with a degree in Public Relations so I thought it would be a great place to put my four years of PR skills to work. Plus, I heard you guys played kickball.

Julia Merrill
Favorite Quote: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”- Dr. Seuss
Why I Became a Fellow: I have worked at other, smaller public relations agencies in the past and have always been interested PR and different types of media. This summer I wanted to take on the excitement and challenge of corporate PR. I am thrilled to be even a small part of this team and to be surrounded by great and creative people for the summer.