Kate Rennie sits at her desk drafting press materials for an upcoming State House event
If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my senior year at Providence College, it’s that in order to be successful, you have to want it. Not just want it like you “want to” sleep in five more minutes, but to really and truly exhibit a passion for the work you are doing and a drive for excellence. This drive for excellence is something that I learned from the Advocacy Solutions team.
To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I sent that email asking about an internship with AS. I hardly even knew what public relations was, let alone “integrated public affairs, government relations and public and community relations.” But over the course of the semester, I dove headfirst into the massive, complex, and rewarding public affairs field…and I absolutely loved it.
I came to realize that the integration of public affairs, government relations and community relations provides the most well rounded approach to advocacy. If you want to be heard, you need to have good relations with the media, government, and the community. Advocacy Solutions provides all three, and the results are astounding.
The most rewarding aspect for me was the sustained relationships between the AS team and their clients. As an intern, I worked closely with clients such as the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools and those involved with the Tobacco Free Providence campaign. My work included drafting language and updating community calendars before an event, conducting issues research, monitoring the media, drafting press advisories and releases, blog posts, and social media updates.
None of this would have been possible if it were not for the passion that the AS team exhibits- and that passion astounded me. A typical day includes arriving early, staying late, numerous meetings, and a trip or two to the state house. But it also includes lots of laughs, collaboration, and obvious excitement over a good pitch or news article.
As graduation looms ahead of me, I know that AS has prepared me for the “real world” more than I could have imagined. As I have learned, an internship experience is the best way to begin a career, and I would highly recommend it to any student interested in this field. I feel more confident, excited about taking on more responsibility in the future, and very lucky for having this wonderful opportunity. Thank you to the AS team for making my internship an exciting, rewarding, and life-changing experience.
Katherine Rennie is a winter/spring 2012 intern and a senior Global Studies major at Providence College.
