Make Things Happen

For all underclassmen who still haven’t found an internship, do not fret. It will all fall into place.

As a freshman, one of the first things I did was join TAC (Temple Ad Club). It was enlightening, getting to hear from all the industry professionals who came in to speak to us about the cool things they’ve done. It also made me nervous about the future. All of these awesome, creative people got their first internships during their sophomore or junior years of college. As a freshman, it seemed so far off. Nothing to worry about just yet.

At the end of my sophomore year, after a few futile attempts, I began to worry that I would never find an internship. I even called companies personally (which I do not recommend because it is not only nerve wracking, but submitting your resume is much more effective).  I faced the unfortunate truth that I was not going to have an internship that summer.

Fast forward to July – I went to get my hair done, a seemingly irrelevant to professional development and networking. My colorist and I were discussing how he got his start as a freelance photographer. He mentioned that he had done some head shots for a woman who runs a boutique PR and event planning firm in Cherry Hill. I pounced on the opportunity, got her email and sent her my resume as soon as I got home.

By early August, I was sitting at the desk updating my LinkedIn profile to Social Media Coordinator at Station Avenue Productions. My boss is a wonderful woman with the ability to juggle an immense amount of tasks at once without having a breakdown. She is the founder and CEO of the company and has been planning events and rebranding companies large and small since the 1972.

Most recently, I have been working on putting together a women’s yoga wellness retreat that is going to be held at the Borgata on November 2nd. It is very exciting to finally be working in the integrated field of advertising and PR. One of my secondary interests is event planning, so the experience is especially rewarding when it comes to finally hosting the events we have been working to promote for months in advance.

So do not worry if you haven’t found an internship. It can seem hopeless and discouraging when you get rejected, it happened to me plenty of times. Seize every opportunity that comes your way, you never know what it could lead to.