By Armani Bailey
Rising Stars is a series of thoughts, reflections and perspectives by the interns at Devine + Partners. Armani Bailey is a junior at Temple University majoring in Media Studies & Production.
For communications students, the field of public relations is usually introduced through campaign planning, case studies, and communication theories. While the classroom builds a strong foundation, internships demonstrate what the profession actually looks like day-to-day.
Case in point: My summer internship at Devine + Partners. This opportunity is meaningful for me as I want to understand whether or not PR is the right journey for me as a rising Junior. Public relations is one of the most creative and rewarding industries from what I have been introduced to. One day might involve writing media pitches and fact sheets, while the next day can be supporting a community event, creating social content, speaking with journalists, or collaborating with clients and organizations. Once I realized the nuance of Public Relations, it became pretty exciting for me.
The transition from the classroom to an agency environment is where everything begins to be experienced in real life. In college, professors and student mentors will repeatedly encourage you to become a part of an organization or chapter so you can have access to build your network and make friends while also exploring new things and learning about yourself.
Trust them, and trust me!
Student organizations, professional associations and conferences expose students to conversations and experiences that’s able to be seen through clients, not the classroom. Networking with PR professionals provides valuable knowledge about various career paths, while also assisting student professionals with building relationships that can lead to different opportunities such as internships, mentorship, and 15-minute interviews to understand what someone’s day-to-day job really looks like.
I’m grateful that I took that advice because as I studied PR and communications, I was able to figure out what I liked doing. Or at least I got a good idea. Your professors don’t necessarily tell you how different PR looks in a workplace setting. Instead, the main focus in the classroom is to study various models to use with probabilities of how the outcome may be. These experiences help students discover what areas of PR honestly excites them before graduation. As agency life introduces adaptability, every client, campaign, and project reveal a different problem, so every day there’s someone new– something I look forward to.
Student Organizations. Clubs. Network.
This is when organizations and club meetings swoop in and save the day. Attending conferences and organizational meetings presents opportunities to bridge what you learn in class to applicable real-world solutions. You may have a chance to speak with a professional in a career focusing on PR. When this opportunity happens, you have to take advantage of it, be curious and ask questions – really try to understand as much about their career as you can. Not only that, you should follow up and ask to continue the conversation over coffee or Zoom, to further learn more.
That’s a gateway to an experience you have yet to be a part of. In other terms, once you apply for internships, you will understand what you’re comfortable with doing and what you know will not fit you!
Agency Life in Action
Speaking from experience, my internship with Devine + Partners has brought professional experiences, good laughs, special conversations and electric energy towards my ten- year career plan I have mapped out. Even the work culture environment at this boutique agency has narrowed my interests to prefer smaller agencies where I’m able to connect one on one with everyone that I work with.
Agency life became clear while I supported the Philadelphia Cycling Classic Pep Rally, sponsored by AmeriGas and Parks on Tap. Watching the scenarios that I have had time to study and analyze play out in real life but look completely different has to be one of the best experiences as an intern.
In May, Devine + Partners supported The Philadelphia Cycling Classic pep rally, sponsored by AmeriGas and Parks on Tap. As an intern, I had the opportunity to get hands-on experience with media calls during the day, then film content at the event by the end of the evening.
During the event, I was able to speak with a news anchor and inquire more about her career, the steps I should be following as someone interested in the reporting sector of the industry and more valuable tips. Learning about the hustle, consistency and grind that comes with reporting and tracking down a story helped me realize how important their work truly is.
I was also able to see in real time how announcements work in relation to PR professionals. Making sure clients understand and represent their sponsors while properly showing their appreciation and recognition.
As Jack Larson, the content creation intern, and I filmed around the pep rally, we were able to connect with other vendors, talk with them, and use some of their props for content. This event was so much fun, especially with the face- painting artist in the park.
Connecting with professionals from different careers encourages me to be more grateful for this internship. With so much experience with Canva graphic mockups, blog writing, drafting fact sheet pagers, copywriting for socials, drafting scripts and bringing questions to any Devine + Partners staff when it comes to just about anything.
This is the experience that I was looking for, and hopefully you can get a similar experience from an internship!
Devine + Partners is a Philadelphia public relations agency. We offer a full range of communications services– from message and content development and media relations to issues management and employee and community engagement.
