Intern Diaries: Elena K.

I’ve always been interested in the study of communications and dreamed of becoming a journalist when I was a teenager. After high school, my life took a different turn, and I earned a bachelor' degree in finance, while living in Russia in a small city named Irkutsk. When I moved to the United States, I decided to study here and get another degree. I chose corporate communication as I always wanted to work more with people than numbers; it was an excellent opportunity for me to learn and improve my English skills. My other reason for choosing this particular specialization was my enormous desire to work in the entertainment industry, specifically on the business side.

When I started looking for an internship, my attention was directed toward public relations companies. I remember seeing an email from my professor listing an internship at JMGPR, and I applied that moment and sent my resume with a cover letter. Soon after, I had a Zoom video interview with Lauren. I have no words to explain how happy I was when I got the offer for the Spring Internship with JMGPR.

I was so nervous and at the same time excited waiting for my first day at JMG. My concerns were lack of experience working in a corporate environment in the United States and doubts if my English skills were sufficient for a communications job. I didn’t know much about public relations since I didn’t take course related to the subject in college. I had a huge desire to learn PR, and I knew the internship was the best way to do so. As I stepped into the JMG office the whole team was so welcoming, friendly, and supportive, and explained my duties with proper instruction. Each day I was given different assignments, which included crafting media lists, creating mockups and summaries, conducting media and client research, transcribing interviews, helping with monthly client reports, and other PR related tasks. Besides that, my responsibilities included managing social media. I took photos for JMG social accounts, learned about Canva, created stories for Instagram, wrote posts, and prepared future content. Every day at JMG I enjoyed learning something new. I was constantly given different tasks, and the team very patient with me, providing guidance and help if I needed it. I want to mention how inspired I was how; each team member is passionate about public relations and shows a lot of enthusiasm while working with clients.

During the internship, I gained comprehensive, real-world knowledge and hands-on experience that I wouldn’t acquire in class. I developed essential PR skills and improved my writing skills but most importantly, I gained an understanding of how a PR agency functions and realized that public relations is the field I want to continue to build my career in.

I want to thank Jenna, Lauren, and Francis for being great mentors and role models guiding me throughout this semester at JMG. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and happy to be a part of such an amazing team!