This summer, I had the privilege of interning at Look East, a public relations firm right outside of Kansas City. Unlike other PR firms, Look East’s clients are agribusinesses and agricultural organizations. One of their biggest clients is The Center for Food Integrity. From the end of May to the beginning of August, I spent every day doing something new.
My summer was a success because of my mentors and advisors at Look East. I started off with a list of goals to accomplish and by the end of the summer, I had achieved them all. I gained experience in multiple outlets of media, published my writing and even tried ghost writing, and gained a completely new appreciation for analytics and strategy. I tracked The Center for Food Integrity in the media all summer long through Cision. While design was not my strong skill, I was able to work on it and create some great infographics. My co-intern and I even ran an agriculture advocacy training program for other college students.
My biggest area of growth was not necessarily a skill but in my ability to hold myself up in a professional setting. Prior to this internship, I had little experience in a professional setting. By spending my summer at Look East with great role models, I was able to get great advice for my professional life.
My internship, like all, had its ups and downs. My proudest moment was writing an op-ed that was published in The Huffington Post. It took many edits to get it there, but it took that kind of work to get it published. I was trusted to represent The Center for Food Integrity, regardless of my position. I loved the internship, and I only wish that there wasn’t as much downtime. My co-intern and I got through some work faster than anticipated and found ourselves searching for more work to do.
My experience at Look East has actually helped me get a media relations internship at Monsanto. Outside of my immediate plans, this experience has helped me realize what sort of path I want to take in agricultural communications. I enjoyed The Center for Food Integrity work the most because I felt more connected to the client. Going forward, I think I am best suited for more of a corporate communications role where I work for the organization I am representing.
I was lucky enough to find this experience through an email from Dr. Kris Boone. If you are looking for an opportunity to gain very diverse experiences and have plenty of support from a great staff, Look East would be a great fit for you, especially if you enjoy educating the general public about agriculture.
Look East is looking for more interns this summer. If you’re interested, you can apply at: http://lookeast.com/position/2017-public-relations-internship/.