Graduating college in May 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic, has definitely been challenging, but I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to intern at JMG Public Relations during these crazy times. I first heard about this company and their internship program from my friend and former JMG intern, Lucy Walsh. She loved her time at JMG, so when I found myself looking for opportunities in New York, I knew that this was where I wanted to apply.

It has been a challenging and rewarding past few months interning at JMG Public Relations. I was so excited to start my internship with JMG PR, since this was my first time working with a PR agency. This internship was a fully remote position due to the corona virus pandemic, however, Jenna and Frances did everything they could to make it feel more like an in-person experience with their warm welcome. In place of mid-day coffee runs or lunch breaks we got to know each other over several zoom meetings, sip the tea’s (where we would take a 15-minute break to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip), slack messages and emails.

I am currently a junior in college at Drew University in New Jersey. Initially, I wasn’t sure what field I wanted to pursue but eventually found myself drawn to the field of media and communication. If you are also interested in this field I will warn you there are a lot more avenues than you might think. Growing up in Vermont I found myself wanting to be near the city that I had seen so often in movies and on television. I started following JMG Public Relations on Instagram during the spring of my sophomore year. I found myself looking more into the company and into public relations.

When I first accepted my internship with JMG Public Relations, all I felt was excitement. Living in Oklahoma my whole life, I felt more than ready to get out of my comfort zone and explore things not only in New York but within the public relations industry. I was ready to see what really goes on in the public relations world outside of the walls of my college, The University of Oklahoma.

If I’m being honest, I had no idea what to expect on my first day at JMG Public Relations. I was nervous, excited, maybe even a little scared, but most of all, I was eager to finally see what PR is like from the inside out.

Growing up in New York, I always took trips to Manhattan with my family, friends, or even by myself whenever I had a few spare hours to hop on the train to Penn Station. While I was looking forward to working downtown in a real New York City office, COVID-19 led to my first internship being completely virtual and consisted of multiple daily Zoom calls and tons of messages over Slack to keep in contact with one another. Despite the pandemic, JMG was able to continue this program online and run it virtually flawlessly, allowing me to grow and learn a tremendous amount during my few months at the company.

Ever since I have switched majors at the start of my college career, I’ve had the most amazing time pursuing what I actually want. Sure, majoring in Supply Chain Management would have been a great opportunity, but my heart wasn’t in the classes I took. I knew I wanted to pursue Communication, but I was unsure of which field exactly. After speaking to multiple academic advisors, I finally set my sight on public relations. It was something unknown, but after completing multiple PR classes, I had come to realize that PR was something I could enjoy doing for a long time. I knew I wanted to be in a creative field, but I also wanted a job that was challenging and always kept me on my toes.

Life (and internships) don’t have to be perfect to be wonderful, and true professionals can do anything to make a sticky situation lighter through treating people with humanity and optimism. There are the two greatest lessons I’ve learned through my time interning at JMG, and I truly consider this to have been the semester of a lifetime (in more ways than one).