I am happy to announce that I recently accepted a fall internship position with Complete Public Relations! An internship with an agency will give me the hands on knowledge and experience I need to secure a full time position in the industry.
Complete has a unique approach to public relations focusing on media and crisis communications. They have done work with political campaigns and non-profits, as well. I feel my experience in media with WSPA-TV, non-profits with Safe Harbor, and politics with Congressmen Clyburn's office aligns well with what they do.
I am very excited to get back to work after a nice summer off, especially with such a new and growing firm in Greenville. I am sure there is a lot to learn.
Showing posts with label Public Relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Relations. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Two Weeks of News and Spying!
It has been a little while since I posted last, so I have a lot to catch up on! Work has been great, as I've gotten to do some more exciting things lately. I finally did the Capitol tour training, so now I will be able to give people tours of the Capitol building. There are so many interesting and historic parts of the Capitol and lots of fun facts to learn and share with others. I need to practice a bit before my first one, but I'm excited. I've also gotten to see the congressman do some interviews. One was for Martin Bashir on MSNBC. I tweeted about getting to see the filming of it, and I got retweeted by @BashirLive, which is the show's official twitter handle. That is kind of amazing! It is the moments like these that remind me of my importance here. I also got to sit in on a meeting with the congressman and President Barker from Clemson. It was great to finally meet him and funny we met in DC, not at school.
Thursday we went to another play for theater class. This one was "Red" at Arena Stage. It was about painter, Mark Rothko, and his assistant. He was getting paintings ready for the Four Seasons, and dealing with issues of his relevance as an artist and whether he was "selling out" by accepting a commission for these paintings. It was pretty interesting and emotional. He was getting to the end of his career and having to legitimize his life and choices as an artist.
I've been trying to make my posts more interactive with links to the different places I'm going. That's all for now. I CANNOT WAIT until Friday when Jake comes! Woo hoo for seeing him and having a four day weekend with Friday and Monday off of work. I'm working on a fun list of things to do while he is here.
I went to a two day training session on how to be an "online activist" using social media and blogging with my roommate, Ryan, at the Leadership Institute. It was great to finally get an opportunity to learn more about my field, and I'm thankful my office is nice enough to let me attend things like that. The Leadership Institute is a conservative organization, so I had to ignore some frequent anti-liberal remarks, but overall the training was pretty useful. I'm proud of myself for being open-minded enough to attend something there, as I knew when I walked in and saw a portrait of George W. Bush on the wall behind the receptionist I did not belong. There was also a framed newspaper with the headline, "Clinton Impeached!" outside of the training room. That freaked me out a little! I felt a bit like a secret liberal spy. It is always good to know how the other side operates, too...haha.
Two interns in my office are done with their internships now, so it will just be me and one other girl who only comes in 2 and 1/2 days a week. It was sad to see Helen, my Australian friend, go as we have become good friends, and she was very helpful in the office. Hopefully I'll get to Australia one day, and she can show me around :] It will definitely be different and probably busier, being the only intern in the office most of the time now.
 |
| Helen and I |
Last weekend, I decided to go to the Newseum. I had heard a lot of great things about it and had wanted to get there for a while. It was pretty neat. Obviously they have lots of newspapers with headlines from important moments in history, and those are cool to see. They also had a pretty large part of the Berlin Wall, and an exhibit on 9/11, including a large mangled-up antenna from the top of one of the twin towers. There were some fun artifacts from elections, SNL skits, the Daily Show, and the Colbert Report. They have a great balcony you can go on with a wonderful view of the Capitol and the Mall. They film ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos in a studio there, so I got to go in there, too. The tickets were good for two days. I finished all the exhibits on day one, but they had the chief White House correspondent for Politico come talk on Sunday so I went back for that. I was glad I did.
 |
| Newseum |
 |
| Berlin Wall |
 |
| Union is Dissolved Newspaper |
 |
| Antenna from 9/11 |
 |
| On the Balcony |
This Saturday we had our White House tour that I had gotten from my office! It was pretty much what I had heard it would be, which was a bit disappointing. Obviously, they can't show you any of the really cool places that they use all of the time, as that would be too complicated. Therefore, you really don't get to see much. You can peek your head in a few rooms, then walk through a few more, and all of the sudden you're going, "that's it?" It is also a self-guided tour, so you don't have anyone really telling you about what the rooms or for or anything. It is still neat to say you've been in the White House, but if you don't get to go, you're not missing out on much.
 |
| At the White House |
Today I went to the International Spy Museum, which was another I had been looking forward to going to for a while. It was really great and worth the money. They take you in and you immediately choose a cover. I was "Angelena Falcone," a 21-year-old travel agent from Italy, going to Vietnam for 30 days on a "business trip." Then you go through a section that teaches you how to be a spy and spot people using surveillance or who could also be spies. You get to see a lot of cool spy gadgets and technology. Then there are sections about actual spies from the U.S. and other countries and their stories. I was pretty impressed. The gift shop had lots of cool stuff, too, including "Agent Double Gnome 7" merchandise - so cute! I couldn't resist and bought something. I hadn't gotten any souvenirs for myself before this.
 |
| International Spy Museum |
 |
| Cool Car! |
 |
| Agent Double Gnome 7 |
I also walked through the National Postal Museum before I went home, as it is right next to Union Station. I walk by it all the time and thought it might be worth taking a few minutes to walk through. It used to be the City Post Office so it is a really neat building.
 |
| National Postal Museum |
 |
| Old City Post Office |
 |
| Old Mailboxes |
Friday, February 24, 2012
Intelligent Adult Conversation
I wrote the following for a journal entry for my program, and I thought it was worth sharing:
Last Wednesday, I traveled to Columbia Heights to Chavez Prep Middle School. My boss asked me if I would be able to judge their “We The People” competition that day. I did not know much about it, but I was excited anyway. I was active in speech and debate in high school and often judge debate tournaments when I am in Greenville. I figured this would be similar, and I always enjoy a nice excursion from work, though I did not know exactly what to expect.
I got off the metro and became a bit confused as to where I was going. I decided to ask someone if they knew where the school was. A woman claimed she did but ultimately sent me in the wrong direction. By the time I figured out my mistake and turned around, I was running a bit late. It was a warmer day than I expected, and I regretted bringing my peacoat along. I got there feeling like a mess with sweat under my arms and my hair windblown. I was immediately put into a judge’s training session with many people at least twice my age. I felt flustered and foolish for looking so disheveled. The instructor paired us up, and I was put with a man about the same age as my father, who is in the Coast Guard. I felt awkward and unsure how to act, and I felt he did not know how to treat me either.
I often find myself in this situation around adults whether at work, at school, or in a personal environment. I feel like a kid in comparison, and I sense they are not taking me seriously for exactly that reason. We anxiously engage in small talk about where I go to school and what I am studying. They may tell me what they do or try to give me some advice, but nothing extraordinary happens. The comments are highly predictable and unsurprising. The conversation is out of courtesy, not interest. We both know this and move on quickly once the pleasantries are finished. I am used to this situation and expect no more.
After our judging duties were complete, we returned to the main room with the other judges. We all sat down waiting for instruction and chatting in the meantime. I began conversation with the guy next to me, probably the next youngest in the room at about 26 or 27 years old. I found out he went to Georgia Tech, and he knew a bit about Clemson. He was very nice and well spoken. He asked me more details about how I like my internship and my philosophy on public relations. I was taken out of my comfort zone of rehearsed answers, and while nervous, I was also happy about it. I was genuinely shocked. This adult actually took an interest in my life, took me seriously, and wanted my opinion. This event should not be out of the ordinary, but for me it was.
As I answered his questions, I realized exactly what I’m looking for in an employer. I want to work for an organization that believes in transparency and openness. I want to work for a company who realizes the potential and importance of social media in public relations and marketing, or at least one that is open to me showing them. I want to work with people like this who actually listen, digest what I say, and respect me regardless of my age and experience level. He ensured me that it is possible to find this in a workplace, and he even offered to put me in touch with the media relations person at his company to talk about it. I was floored. A man I met five minutes ago was going out of his way to help me figure out my life. That meant a lot.
I do not know if this will really come to fruition or not. I am not sure I want to work in DC, and I do not know if the media person at this organization will be as helpful as this man. This professional networking experience may not produce any usable results. However, it was beneficial to me regardless. It helped me answer some of my own questions and made me consider things I had not thought of before in my job search. Now I know what to look for in an employer and what questions to ask them in an interview.
It also showed me how I want to act when I am older. I want to remember how hard it could be as an intern and student and be able to give the same helping hand to someone else down the line. I want to take a few minutes of my time to help others whenever I can. Though I do not want to be a teacher, I want to give guidance to any students that ask me for help. I do not want to become some jaded professional who takes people for granted or has too big of an ego to actually listen to others ideas and beliefs. I want to be open and have intelligent, adult conversations.
Last Wednesday, I traveled to Columbia Heights to Chavez Prep Middle School. My boss asked me if I would be able to judge their “We The People” competition that day. I did not know much about it, but I was excited anyway. I was active in speech and debate in high school and often judge debate tournaments when I am in Greenville. I figured this would be similar, and I always enjoy a nice excursion from work, though I did not know exactly what to expect.
I got off the metro and became a bit confused as to where I was going. I decided to ask someone if they knew where the school was. A woman claimed she did but ultimately sent me in the wrong direction. By the time I figured out my mistake and turned around, I was running a bit late. It was a warmer day than I expected, and I regretted bringing my peacoat along. I got there feeling like a mess with sweat under my arms and my hair windblown. I was immediately put into a judge’s training session with many people at least twice my age. I felt flustered and foolish for looking so disheveled. The instructor paired us up, and I was put with a man about the same age as my father, who is in the Coast Guard. I felt awkward and unsure how to act, and I felt he did not know how to treat me either.
I often find myself in this situation around adults whether at work, at school, or in a personal environment. I feel like a kid in comparison, and I sense they are not taking me seriously for exactly that reason. We anxiously engage in small talk about where I go to school and what I am studying. They may tell me what they do or try to give me some advice, but nothing extraordinary happens. The comments are highly predictable and unsurprising. The conversation is out of courtesy, not interest. We both know this and move on quickly once the pleasantries are finished. I am used to this situation and expect no more.
After our judging duties were complete, we returned to the main room with the other judges. We all sat down waiting for instruction and chatting in the meantime. I began conversation with the guy next to me, probably the next youngest in the room at about 26 or 27 years old. I found out he went to Georgia Tech, and he knew a bit about Clemson. He was very nice and well spoken. He asked me more details about how I like my internship and my philosophy on public relations. I was taken out of my comfort zone of rehearsed answers, and while nervous, I was also happy about it. I was genuinely shocked. This adult actually took an interest in my life, took me seriously, and wanted my opinion. This event should not be out of the ordinary, but for me it was.
As I answered his questions, I realized exactly what I’m looking for in an employer. I want to work for an organization that believes in transparency and openness. I want to work for a company who realizes the potential and importance of social media in public relations and marketing, or at least one that is open to me showing them. I want to work with people like this who actually listen, digest what I say, and respect me regardless of my age and experience level. He ensured me that it is possible to find this in a workplace, and he even offered to put me in touch with the media relations person at his company to talk about it. I was floored. A man I met five minutes ago was going out of his way to help me figure out my life. That meant a lot.
I do not know if this will really come to fruition or not. I am not sure I want to work in DC, and I do not know if the media person at this organization will be as helpful as this man. This professional networking experience may not produce any usable results. However, it was beneficial to me regardless. It helped me answer some of my own questions and made me consider things I had not thought of before in my job search. Now I know what to look for in an employer and what questions to ask them in an interview.
It also showed me how I want to act when I am older. I want to remember how hard it could be as an intern and student and be able to give the same helping hand to someone else down the line. I want to take a few minutes of my time to help others whenever I can. Though I do not want to be a teacher, I want to give guidance to any students that ask me for help. I do not want to become some jaded professional who takes people for granted or has too big of an ego to actually listen to others ideas and beliefs. I want to be open and have intelligent, adult conversations.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Exciting Times, Visitors, and Growing Up
There are now four interns (including myself) at the office and two high school students that come help out on certain days. That's a lot! That has been a bit crazy as there aren't even enough desks for us all to sit at sometimes, and there was some confusion with a lot of things going on. I'm glad I was the second one to start, as I got to claim a desk and don't ever end up sitting without a phone or a computer. It is also nice just because I know how to do everything and the whole office knows me fairly well so they ask me to do things for them usually before they ask the newer girls. It definitely puts the pressure on to stand out when there are so many of us though.
I got to sit in the gallery in the house chambers on Thursday morning, which I've been wanting to do since I've been here. It was a great time to be there watching. When we got there, they were debating on the Stock Act which would outlaw insider trading among congressmen. It was pretty unanimous that insider trading should be illegal, but the democrats were struggling with some of the other stuff that was stuck in the bill they didn't like. Nancy Pelosi then got up and gave a speech urging the dems to pass it and send it to conference, as these negative parts of it could be changed then. Watching votes is pretty exciting. Most of the time there aren't many congressmen in the chambers, but when they vote, they all have to be there so an alarm sounds and they all come from their offices to put in their vote. The room is really bustling when there are 400+ congressmen in there. The vote lasts 15 minutes, and when it gets to the end of the time it is pretty nuts as the last few come rushing in and everyone basically shouts at the speaker of the house to wait for one or two more! These panels above the press box light up with all the congressman's last names and either a green Y or a red N to show how they voted. Then afterwards they had a 5 minute vote on whether to send it to conference. Both votes were pretty uncontested at 400 something to less than 10. Then, there was discussion on next week's schedule. Eric Cantor (House Majority Leader) and Steny Hoyer (Minority Whip) were going back and forth about different timings for at least 30 minutes. It was AWESOME! I could sit in there all day, and it was great that I got to see a lot of the leaders speak. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures in the chambers so I can't show you all what it was like.
I also finally got to meet with our office's communications director and talk about PR for a while and some ideas I had come up with. I've been hoping to do that for a while, and it is a great reminder of what I want to do and how much I love it. I also got a recommendation for a pretty interesting sounding book about PR so I ordered that right away and am excited to read it when it comes in the mail.
Another exciting piece of news from this week is that Jake is coming to see me! I am thrilled! I left to come here thinking I wouldn't get to see him for four months, as we didn't know if either of us could get off any time from work. It was a great surprise that things worked out, and I will have to start planning some exciting things for us to do while he is here.
I guess I never wrote about it on here, but my aunt, my cousin, and my cousin's partner are also coming to see me! They have never been to DC and thought it would be a great time to come while I am here. I have been getting ready for them to visit, too. I haven't seen my cousin since I was really young, and I've never met her partner since they live in California so that will be a lot of fun.
Thursday we went to see our second play for theater class. It was called Time Stands Still. The story is about a couple who are a photojournalist and writer, and they just got back from a war zone. The woman was severely injured and almost died from a roadside bombing so they have to reevaluate putting their lives on the line for their jobs. It really made you question why people would put themselves in danger to take a picture, film something, or write about it. It is amazing the dedication people have to a profession like that.
Yesterday, I went to the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. They are in the same building, which is basically divided down the middle. There is an entire section of portraits of the presidents and many other portraits, including some of pretty recently famous people. The American art was neat too with some older parts and some more modern art. It was actually snowing when I left the museum, and it was very very cold today.
On a separate note, I've realized this experience has already helped me in some ways. Before this, I was so scared to graduate and have a real job. I was scared of the real world and wished I could stay at Clemson forever. Being here is a step closer to being on my own and having a full time job. I think I'm ready, and I am actually excited about graduating and looking for job possibilities. I'm ready to be done being a student and an intern. I want to be able to produce results on my own that I'm proud of and help an organization be successful. I want that responsibility and the fulfillment of having a real job.
I got to sit in the gallery in the house chambers on Thursday morning, which I've been wanting to do since I've been here. It was a great time to be there watching. When we got there, they were debating on the Stock Act which would outlaw insider trading among congressmen. It was pretty unanimous that insider trading should be illegal, but the democrats were struggling with some of the other stuff that was stuck in the bill they didn't like. Nancy Pelosi then got up and gave a speech urging the dems to pass it and send it to conference, as these negative parts of it could be changed then. Watching votes is pretty exciting. Most of the time there aren't many congressmen in the chambers, but when they vote, they all have to be there so an alarm sounds and they all come from their offices to put in their vote. The room is really bustling when there are 400+ congressmen in there. The vote lasts 15 minutes, and when it gets to the end of the time it is pretty nuts as the last few come rushing in and everyone basically shouts at the speaker of the house to wait for one or two more! These panels above the press box light up with all the congressman's last names and either a green Y or a red N to show how they voted. Then afterwards they had a 5 minute vote on whether to send it to conference. Both votes were pretty uncontested at 400 something to less than 10. Then, there was discussion on next week's schedule. Eric Cantor (House Majority Leader) and Steny Hoyer (Minority Whip) were going back and forth about different timings for at least 30 minutes. It was AWESOME! I could sit in there all day, and it was great that I got to see a lot of the leaders speak. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures in the chambers so I can't show you all what it was like.
I also finally got to meet with our office's communications director and talk about PR for a while and some ideas I had come up with. I've been hoping to do that for a while, and it is a great reminder of what I want to do and how much I love it. I also got a recommendation for a pretty interesting sounding book about PR so I ordered that right away and am excited to read it when it comes in the mail.
Another exciting piece of news from this week is that Jake is coming to see me! I am thrilled! I left to come here thinking I wouldn't get to see him for four months, as we didn't know if either of us could get off any time from work. It was a great surprise that things worked out, and I will have to start planning some exciting things for us to do while he is here.
I guess I never wrote about it on here, but my aunt, my cousin, and my cousin's partner are also coming to see me! They have never been to DC and thought it would be a great time to come while I am here. I have been getting ready for them to visit, too. I haven't seen my cousin since I was really young, and I've never met her partner since they live in California so that will be a lot of fun.
Thursday we went to see our second play for theater class. It was called Time Stands Still. The story is about a couple who are a photojournalist and writer, and they just got back from a war zone. The woman was severely injured and almost died from a roadside bombing so they have to reevaluate putting their lives on the line for their jobs. It really made you question why people would put themselves in danger to take a picture, film something, or write about it. It is amazing the dedication people have to a profession like that.
Yesterday, I went to the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. They are in the same building, which is basically divided down the middle. There is an entire section of portraits of the presidents and many other portraits, including some of pretty recently famous people. The American art was neat too with some older parts and some more modern art. It was actually snowing when I left the museum, and it was very very cold today.
 |
| Front of the Museum |
 |
| Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts |
 |
| Different portrait of Bill! |
 |
| Cool piece of American modern art |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)