Hometown: Houghton, MI

Major and class standing: English, Senior

Instagram: @lilyashburn26

Where you interned at: Negri Firman PR & Communications, New York, NY, USA

What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?

I was a PR Intern, and the majority of my responsibilities involved packaging and sending out seedings, or giftings, of client products to influencers, editors, and stylists, and keeping track of all the information in spreadsheets. I also worked on press clippings and magazine research.

How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?

My internship was set up by Global Experiences. The internship placement team at Global Experiences sent my resume, cover letter, and portfolio to employers and set up an interview with Negri Firman for me once they agreed to take on a summer intern. Before my interview, I watched videos and read articles on how to do in interviews to prepare myself as best as possible.

What did your daily routine include?

My daily routine at my internship included packaging gifts, creating shipping labels and scheduling messenger services, and conducting research on luxury magazines to contact about featuring our client’s products.

Your favorite experience from the internship?

My favorite experience from the internship was seeing my handwritten note that was put in a gift posted on social media by an influencer. It was really rewarding to see the gifting that I put together posted, which is great to be able to show the client, and I just thought it was really cool that the personalized note I wrote was seen by so many people and helped promote the product.

What was your least favorite part of the internship?

My least favorite part of the internship was how monotonous the work could get. Packaging up 50 giftings in a day and creating was a bit tedious, but on the bright side, I got to be very efficient at doing these things!

What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?

I definitely built upon my communication, technology, and research skills during my internship. Sending out lots of professional emails and communicating our projects with my boss helped me build my communication skills, working with emails, spreadsheets, and online programs helped with my technology skills, and conducting research on different magazines and editors helped me build my research skills.

What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?

I did not know much about the PR and Communications industry prior to this internship, so I learned a lot about the industry. My plan is to work in publishing as an editor in the future, and while this internship wasn’t really related to publishing, a lot of the skills I learned and built upon are transferable. I also think that this internship has opened my eyes to new possibilities and that working in PR and Communications could be a great starting point as I work my way towards editorial in the publishing industry.

What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?

My advice for other students seeking out internship opportunities is to not be afraid of working somewhere you don’t have experience. I was nervous going into my internship in PR and Communications because I didn’t have any experience with it, but using the skills I already had and being open and willing to learn from my employers helped me overcome that and have a great time at my internship, and I learned a lot from my supervisors.