Name: Haylee Podrasky
Major: Advertising
Minor: Public Relations
Year: Junior
Internships: Public Relations Intern at Marx Layne & Company in Farmington Hills and We Are Spartans Intern at FOX 47 News in Lansing
What are your responsibilities as the We Are Spartans Intern? As the We Are Spartans intern, I cover events/activities that are going on at MSU. I write and post web stories, capture images and update photo galleries.
How do you choose which events/activities are important to cover? I usually cover what interests me or what I think people will want to read about. I also write some stories that are just for fun. For example, I did an article called “10 Basic Things Every MSU Girl Needs for Fall.” I took pictures and wrote something for each of the ten things. I have written about football games, things happening during homecoming week and just recently an Izzone Campout article.
What is the most important thing you have learned as an intern for FOX 47? At FOX 47, the most important thing that I have learned so far is how quick you have to be with the news. Things change very quickly so you have to always be on top of social media and be paying attention to what’s happening so that you can write something about it or take pictures for people to look at in a timely manner.
This past summer you said that you interned at a Public Relations firm. What was an average day like there? This past summer at Marx Layne & Company, there was no average day! Every day I went into the office and did something different which is what I loved about it so much. Some days I would be out at an event for a client or at a television station for a client interview. Days in the office usually consisted of writing press releases, media pitches or media alerts. I pitched reporters over the phone trying to get them to take stories. I spent time doing research for clients and working with their social media. The experience that I gained at Marx Layne is invaluable; I learned so much because everything was so hands-on.
How will your internships help you accomplish your future career goals? I’m hoping my internships will help me get a great job when I graduate. I have interned at a public relations firm and now a television station, so I am really hoping to have a broad range of experience. I’m hoping that the harder I work now, the easier it will be to find a great job.
What is your dream internship? My dream internship would be in New York, interning for ABC Television Group.
Why do you think it is important for students to have internship experience before graduation? Internships are exactly what you need on a resume to get a job. I think that internships really set you aside from others because of the unique experiences or things that you learned that others haven’t. They also make you realize what you like and what you don’t like in the field you are going into. Internships are great for networking too; you get to meet so many different people, some of which might hire you when you graduate.
What is the worst part of being an intern and what advice do you have for those who may experience that same thing? The worst part about being an intern is being labeled as “the intern.” My best advice would be to go into the internship and work very hard and show everyone that you aren’t just “the intern.”
What advice do you have to underclassman who don’t think they are ready for an internship? No one is ever really ready for an internship. I was very nervous before my first one, but once you start learning and doing the work that you love, it is a piece of cake. The more internships that you have under your belt, the less nervous you are for the next one.
Where do you see yourself post-graduation? I see myself taking one of three pathways post-graduation. I could see myself working for an Advertising Firm, doing Public Relations work at a big company or landing my dream job at ABC Television Group.
Favorite quote or piece of advice someone has given you? “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”