It is often said that all good things come to an end, but what about great things? As I try to wrap my head around the fact that it is already my last week here at Regan, I still can’t imagine this being the end. My next line isn’t going to be, “It’s just the beginning,” because that’s just too cliche, but what I will say is that my experience as an intern here will remain a strong base for all of my future career endeavors, no matter what or where they may be.
I will never forget the day I interviewed at Regan. I was ecstatic, because with the reputation that Regan has, this was where I knew I wanted to intern. I was driving up from Connecticut for the interview in my trusty minivan. About an hour into the ride the “trusty” minivan began losing steam, and soon I found myself pulled over on the side of the highway. Perfect timing. After much panic and debate of whether or not to reschedule the interview altogether, I was luckily able to swap cars and continue the drive. Little did I know I would hit standstill traffic for another three hours. Though all odds were against me that day, I made it my mission to get to Boston for the interview. And, after all of that, I ended up landing the internship. Now I can laugh about the disastrous journey that got me here.
Walking into the first day of an internship can be intimidating. It’s almost like walking into your first day of high school as a naive freshman, not knowing what to expect, and surrounded by all of the experienced upperclassmen. Luckily at Regan there weren’t many halls for me to get lost in, and unlike the big-headed upperclassmen, everyone was very welcoming, especially the team I had the opportunity of working with.
I am so thankful for the team I got to work with throughout my internship here. They have provided me with the skills and foundation that I need as I enter the professional world of public relations. I was glad to be reassured that everything I did mattered, and wasn’t just intern busy work. I not only learned public relations skills like compiling a media lists, creating media clips, and coming up with social media content, but more importantly, everyday I was able to observe what the life of a real PR professional is like. I have had the opportunity to sit in on meetings and watch the team bounce ideas back and forth, debate with each other, collaborate, and have fun together to come up with plans and ideas to put into effect. I know this is an invaluable experience that I could not get anywhere else.
I had the chance to watch ideas develop in real life situations, which no matter how many case studies I look at, how many research papers I write, or how hard I pay attention during a lecture, I could never learn in a classroom. I believe that the skills an intern needs are mainly found right in the office, not on the pages of a book.
But most importantly of all, my team has helped me to build the confidence that I need to enter this competitive workforce as an eligible contender. Through everything they have taught me, I now have a better sense of myself as a professional, and this is something I will continue to develop from here. I now feel that I have the sturdiest backbone that I possibly could have to begin my professional career.
As interns we are the future; we have the hopes and dreams to one day be sitting in the chairs of our bosses. So it is important to take advantage and learn all you can from your mentors, and take it with you in the future. You will never have a professional experience as rich as this again.
