Overcoming the Struggles of Public Relations

As someone who was given the opportunity to intern with the Pennsylvania Tourette’s Syndrome Alliance (PATSA) in their PR department, I was given the opportunity to work very closely with Sara Woolf, the Director of Operations for PATSA. Although initially nervous, I was welcomed as a team member right from the start by both the staff and the public relations board.

As a PR associate, one of my duties was to reach out to local newspapers with press releases in order to get the word out about various events. Never having worked in public relations before, I assumed that I would very easily get responses back, however I quickly realized that was not the case.

For a non-profit, one of the largest struggles is getting information out to potential members, as well as getting information out to news agencies to spread the word for our events. I found that it takes a good amount of effort and a lot of back and forth with different media agencies to get our press releases out there.

In the end, regardless of the number of news agencies that accepted, the feeling of really putting the effort in and trying your hardest is a great one. On top of this, creating media lists and campaigns helps the group immensely.

One of the most positive aspects I got from this internship apart from the incredibly friendly and open work environment, was being able to work for a group that is trying to create a positive impact for those struggling with a disability.

From the start, I was also treated as an equal, even though I was new to the field of Public Relations, which allowed me to feel comfortable asking questions even when I was learning the ropes.

Many thanks to Sara, Sherrie, and the rest of the team over at PATSA for giving me such an amazing opportunity to intern with them throughout the fall semester.