When did you graduate?
I graduated summa cum laude in May 2015 with a degree in Communications from MSU Department of Communication. My concentration was PR and I took some marketing classes.
Where did you intern? My first internship was for OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville MS in the Marketing and PR office. We did a lot of events for different hospital programs. During my second internship at St. Jude Children's Research Center, in Memphis, TN, I served as a Tour Ambassador, giving tours to the general public and visiting corporate executives. I helped plan fundraising dinners and luncheons and assisted with set up and execution of many events. My third opportunity was an internship with United States Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-R) in Washington DC. Some of the responsibilities I had were to respond to constituents telephone calls and emails with the help of legislative aids, attend lobbying events, give tours of the Capitol to constituents, attend legislative briefings to take notes for the legislative aids, and I gather and archive all of the congressman’s press clippings.
Where do you currently work?
I serve our community as the president of the Columbus Lowndes Chamber of Commerce in Columbus MS.
Describe your experience as an intern? Interning was so much fun! I got to see from the inside what a working environment was all about. The managers I worked for at St Jude were professional women that made an impact on me and I still look up to today. Being an intern is the best because they often assign you fun projects and tasks that aren’t too stressful but definitely let you get your toes wet. Since both my experiences at St Jude and the US Capitol happened to involve giving tours, I learned their specific mission and important history well enough to convince our donors, customers and constituents the value and importance of the organization. It was incredibly rewarding.
What did you learn from your internship?
I learned how to be an ambassador for a cause greater than myself. The chamber represents the business community and we utilize our professional development programs, business workshops, community service events, luncheons, and much more to enhance the Columbus community and provide more value to Chamber membership. By the time I secure a sponsor for a Chamber event, the sponsor knows it is for a greater cause, therefore doing their best to further enhance our community. Similar to the audience in my internships, such as visitors on a tour, they realize their donation to St Jude or vote for congress contributes to a greater cause. They walk away more motivated toward the mission and vision of the organization than they were before. That is what I try to do every day for the members of our community and the Chamber of Commerce.
What was the most challenging thing about your internship?
The most challenging part was having to do some of the more tedious and time consuming intern tasks. Looking back on it, I don’t remember a lot about that stuff. I remember the people I met, the environment I got to be a part of, and the impact I felt I was making; even on that level. The internships were completely worth the effort.
How did your internship prepare you for your current position? My internships prepared me for my position as president of the Chamber in many ways. First and foremost it proved to me that I can be successful in areas which I never really gave myself credit. Second, my internships taught me new ways to approach problem solving. Putting myself into locations and circumstances I was unfamiliar with forced me to put my skills to the test. Finally, I realized that not only my internships but also my education and my previous jobs, volunteer work, and life experiences had given me the tools I needed to tackle a new job in a new community. I am forever grateful for my internship experiences and everything this MSU Comm Dept did to help me get them. I would not be in my current position if it was not for the internship experiences that taught me so much.
What advice would you give to students looking for internships? My best advice is to cast a really wide net. Apply for any and every internship you hear about and research opportunities on the internet. The sky is the limit! It may sound glamorous to intern in DC for a Congressman and at St Jude, but I applied for at least 100 other internships I never heard back from. So don’t give up and keep applying!