The time has come for Lynette Nicole PR to say goodbye to its summer intern for this year! Here is Jonathan's last blog post.
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As my time as an intern ends, I have spent some time reflecting on this summer. I have been challenged, enlightened, and I have learned many lessons. Some days were harder than others, but in the end, those days helped me grow the most. I am extraordinarily grateful for this opportunity I have been given.
This summer, I wanted to learn exactly what I want to do with my degree in PR. What I ended up learning, however, is that there are so many paths I can take. It will take longer than just a summer for me to find my fit, but I’m okay with that. I have learned that I have skills that need some practice and that learning doesn’t happen overnight. This is just one large process that will lead me somewhere exciting and somewhere where I can thrive.
This internship came with its highs and its lows- just as anything does. My favorite part of the internship might sound cliché, but it was that I got to see how things I learn in a classroom are applied to real world scenarios. I also got to learn about things I had never heard of in the classroom. For example, I got to learn about pitches and how important research is to those pitches. This is something that hasn’t been heavily hit on in school just quite yet. I also enjoyed the health perks, like doing yoga and Pilates for the first time!
My least favorite parts of the internship dealt mostly with being away from home for the first time. Coming here from rural West TN proved to be more of a challenge than I had expected it to be. I dealt with homesickness, anxiety, and the whole aspect of everything being completely new. Some moments were lonely, but some moments were extraordinary.
As I prepare to leave, there are two pieces of advice I would give to future interns. The first is to take it one day at a time. Focus on what you need to accomplish and want to accomplish for that day. Remember that you are here to learn and grow. The second piece of advice I would give is to stop and smell the roses. You may feel overwhelmed or anxious at times, but don’t forget to realize how far you have come and to be in the moment. Take a minute to breathe and enjoy your time, because it will be gone in a flash.
This summer has helped me grow as a person and a future PR practitioner (or whatever path I choose to take). I am forever thankful for this experience and I can’t wait to share with others what I learned.
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XO,
Lynette
