What began as a passion project has now evolved into a semester abroad in Australia for Evelina Ogrodniczuk, a senior studying public relations in the Klein College of Media and Communication.  

The Strasburg, Pennsylvania native grew up listening to bands like 5 Seconds of Summer and found herself drawn to a career in the music media industry. Ogrodniczuk chose Temple because of its historic public relations program and city opportunities.   

“I always knew I wanted to do something in the media, " Ogrodniczuk said. “I was such a fangirl when I was a teenager. I just knew I wanted to be a publicist at some point.” 

When wrapping up her sophomore year in the spring of 2024, she wanted to find something new to fill her time. A week after school finished, she was sitting on her couch at home scrolling on her TikTok page. She came across an Australian boy band, The Kickons. She took a leap of faith and sent the band a direct message to see if they needed any help with publicity.    

Luckily, singer Matthias Gault was on board and asked Ogrodniczuk to have a call to discuss more. A few days later, she held a formal meeting and presented her PR plan to the rest of the band. Gault was more than pleased to bring her on to the team.  

“She has made an effort to know us on a deeper level than just a client,” Gault said. “I think it has really helped the branding and vision come together because it’s our personalities that are really going to sell.” 

The 12-hour time difference makes it nearly impossible for the group to meet all at once, but once a week, Ogrodniczuk stays up late to plan and organize their time together.  

Ogrodniczuk oversees all The Kickons social media, website updates and media relations tasks. Since she started, she has brought two new individuals onto the team to take photos and run the band's TikTok page.  

As a public relations student, Ogrodniczuk is required to take a field experience class. She reached out to the field experience instructor, Lisa Simon, to see if she could use her experience with The Kickons as credits.  

“She created her own music opportunity versus working for a record label,” Simon said. “She has really built out a comprehensive global public relations and social media program for the band, which is incredible.” 

While Ogrodniczuk is working with the band, she will be attending the University of Western Australia to continue her studies for the semester.  

Outside of her work for Kickons, Ogrodniczuk worked as a Klein College Peer Mentor, serving as co-instructor for Klein College New Student Seminar and Introduction to Professional Development classes. At Temple Camp Kesem, she assisted in planning a free, week-long summer camp for children who have been affected by a parent's cancer. Additionally, she is an active member of Temple’s chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma.  

Upon graduation, Ogrodniczuk hopes to continue her work with The Kickons. However, she would gravitate to any role as a publicist in the music industry. 

“I would love to see them blossom into something amazing,” she said. “I don’t know what will happen this year and before I graduate, so I am hoping to get as much experience as I can now. Then I will likely have to use my connections I made from this band to get a full-time job.”