Real Life: My Internship Experience – Selena

Who: Selena Albanese

University: University of Texas at Austin 

Major: Public Relations

Where: SXSWedu

Q: What did they have you doing?

A: We prepared all semester for the SXSW festival. I wrote blog posts regarding announcements, information on speakers, and general reminders for the upcoming event. I also got to manage SpredFast (a cool social media platform) for the TES Global campaign. Once the festival began, we attended staff meetings, communicated with speakers, attendees, and worked at the speaker check-in.

Q: What was the environment like there?

A: It was a very casual, relaxed work setting. Everyone worked in one room and all of the program coordinators had their own desk. The interns were all at one long desk in the middle of the room.

Q: What is something you learned?

A: I learned a lot about balance. Not only just how to balance a lot of tasks in the office, but also balancing school and work better. I was working with consumers, speakers, and press constantly throughout the day. This helped me learn how to work long hours and keep high spirits while interacting with people.

Q: Do you have any tips for college students who are looking for internships?

It’s so important to be proactive! Finding internships can be easy if you keep your resume and LinkedIn updated, utilize connections, and care about getting involved.