Intern Diary: Elyssa

During my sophomore year at Auburn University, I decided to switch my major to public relations. I immediately got involved in The Oaks Agency, Auburn’s student-run PR firm, where I served as a social media manager and account manager over two semesters. Once I had that experience, I knew I was ready to take the next step in my professional journey. It was the fall semester of my junior year when our school’s PRSSA Instagram page named JMGPR as a public relations account to follow. I decided to follow JMG, not knowing it would lead me to an incredible internship experience that spring.

This was my first internship with a public relations agency and I was nervous about it being remote. However, since my very first day I felt welcomed and supported by the entire team, including Jenna. Funny enough, Jenna was scheduled to speak right next to my college town during the first week of my internship. So myself and another JMG intern, Ryleigh, went to support Jenna. Jenna was so excited to meet us, and it was then that I was no longer nervous about the internship. I was confident that Jenna and the rest of the team would continue to be supportive and encourage me to do my best.

Through my time interning with JMG, I’ve been able to do work for multiple clients including Dan-O’s Seasoning, Namecoach, and Darnell “Superchef” Ferguson. I also had the opportunity to apply my previously obtained skills in social media by creating content for Brooklyn MLS, a real estate company, and assisting with the JMG Instagram page. Completing different tasks and working with a variety of clients made every day exciting.

Everyone on the team is so knowledgeable about PR and is ready to answer any questions that I might have. I collaborated frequently with my Account Coordinator, Arcely, who made me feel valued and appreciated. She was more than willing to teach me new skills and challenge me to ensure I got the most out of the internship as possible. One of the best parts of the internship was getting to know Arcely and the other women on the team. They truly all care about each other and provide the perfect work environment.

Something important I learned during my time at JMG was that it’s okay to make mistakes, because that’s how we learn to be better. Arcely told me that internships are about learning as you go, so it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you correct them and learn from them. That made me realize that while I want to avoid making mistakes, without them I would not be able to continue to grow in the PR field.

I am so thankful I had the opportunity to intern with JMG for my first public relations internship. Being a part of this team has been so valuable not only for my public relations journey, but also for my self-growth journey.