When I first walked out the doors of Grand Central Station, I made sure to walk confidently towards the building where I planned to spend my last semester of college gaining real world experience. Little did I know that I was going the wrong way and would end up taking an extra 15 minutes to get to the Regan Communications office on Madison Avenue. Luckily I had planned ahead and made sure to give myself some extra time in order to ensure timeliness on my first day.
Since this is my first time interning in New York City and working with an actual public relations firm, I was extremely nervous about what to expect from my first week. I come from a suburban town in Massachusetts, so I haven’t spent too much time in the city (despite the fact that my college is only a two hour train ride away). I’ve had internships before, so I wasn’t too stressed about office life. However all those internships were local within my community, and this would be the first time my public relations skills were really put to the test.
When I got back to school the first thing I did was make sure I was prepared. I made sure to plan my outfit ahead of time, map out my route and check the train times, because those where the variables I could actually control. After that I was on my on, anxiously awaiting what this internship experience would be like. We’ve all seen the movies and heard the horror stories about how internships could go (I’ll admit I may have watched The Devil Wears Prada roughly 10 times in order to prepare myself for the worst). However, that is not how Regan Communications works.
On my first day at the office I was expecting the worst yet hoping for the best. When I walked in the staff was so friendly and genuinely happy that I was there. Within my first week I was doing clippings, drafting pitches and personnels, and even going to an event. I came to realize that my superiors were genuinely interested in the work I could produce and wanted to aid me in gaining experience, rather than just seeing me as just another body in the office. I believe that throughout this experience I will be able to grow, not only as a future PR professional but as a person as well, and will be able to gain more confidence in the ideas and work I can produce.
So for all of those out there starting their first internships: it’s okay to be nervous and unsure of what to expect. Prepare yourself as much as you can, but let the rest fall into place. No matter how nervous you are, go into your first day knowing that the people you will be working with are truly rooting for you and want you to succeed. Your internships are where you are going to take what you’ve been learning in the classroom and transform it into actual products. Don’t be afraid to speak up and show the firm what you can do!
— Taylor Ciliberto, Regan NYC Intern
