My internship is nearly over as I am writing this blog post. By the time it is posted, I will be done with my internship with the Borgen Project. Because of this, I have a clear idea about what has been challenging throughout my internship with the Borgen Project and what I have found rewarding. The thing that I found most challenging during this internship has been the public relations portion of it. I am a marketing major and this internship is a PR/Marketing internship, so I am doing a bit of both. The reason that I find the PR aspect so difficult is because of the lack of control that I have over whether or not it succeeds. To put my point in more concrete terms, I was required as part of this internship to get four pieces of media that discuss the Borgen Project published by media outlets. This could include newspaper, social media influencers, or other media outlets that would draw attention. I got two published through personal connections, but I for a while struggled to get anything additional published. I sent letters to the editor to newspapers, and I had one letter posted in the Scranton Times and successfully completed the goal!
The most rewarding part of my internship has been seeing how willing people are to help out a good cause. In case you did not know, the Borgen Project is a nonprofit that advocates for the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger globally. It has been both eye opening and rewarding to see how willing people are to help the cause of eradicating global extreme poverty. In a similar way, it is rewarding that I am able to do my part in helping the cause while also being able to learn skills in marketing that I can use for a future career in the marketing field.
Michael Walton ’23
Marketing
Hi Michael,
It seems like your internship has been a rewarding experience in many aspects! It’s great that you were able to meet your goal and raise awareness for the organizations cause despite the challenges you faced. I am sure they are very grateful for the work you have put in this summer!
Michael,
I’m very familiar with marketing and PR myself, and I relate to what you mentioned about struggling with it. It’s amazing that you did end up overcoming your struggles and getting a few pieces published. I also find it very refreshing that you found much support working with your nonprofit. That might not be something I’d expect, but it’s great to hear!
Hi Michael,
Congratulations on having your work published in the Scranton Times – that is quite an accomplishment! I admire your perseverance during your internship, and I think that’s a great skill to have for the future. I am glad you had such a rewarding experience by simultaneously strengthening your professional skills and helping an important cause.
Michael,
Happy to hear that you completed such a major goal! I’m sure this felt so rewarding for you after facing the challenges you described. Another important aspect of internships is helping narrow down what you want to do. It’s great to figure out early on what characteristics of your internship you loved, and what you didn’t like as much. Great on you for working with such an important cause!
Michael –
I’m glad to hear that you overcame the challenges that you faced. PR seems like a very stressful job at times, so kudos to you for doing such a great job for such a great cause.