My Virtual Experience as an Intern at Heron Agency
By: Regan Lee
This summer was unlike any other summer. The COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented, I was sent home from college early, and I had an internship for the first time. I was worried the internship was not going to happen, but the wonderful team at Heron Agency figured out how to give me the internship experience I was looking forward to, just online. The fact that the internship was completely virtual made me nervous to begin. However, now on the last day of my internship, I look back on the last 3 months and can confidently say I had an amazing experience at Heron Agency. I would without a doubt do it all over again.
My first day at Heron Agency was not like the typical first day of a new job. Instead of actually going to the office and being able to meet the team in person, I logged onto the team’s morning Zoom call from the comfort of my own home. I thought it would be difficult to learn and gain experience over Zoom calls and emails, but I was wrong. Heron Agency taught me what it takes to be a great publicist.
The internship program at Heron Agency has solidified my decision about entering the field of PR once I graduate. I never thought in a million years I could learn as much as I did in one summer. I originally thought internships entailed simply observing the professionals and learning how they did things. I was wrong. At Heron, I observed while also writing my own pitches and press releases, creating content calendars, compiling media lists, and much more.
One of my favorite parts of the summer was being able to go to a photoshoot for one of the clients. Since I had been working from home, I was unable to experience these types of things on a regular basis. When I was asked to join Anneliese, the Social Media Director, I jumped at the opportunity. It was awesome to be out of the house and experience direct interaction with a client.
During the first internship class, Noreen said “In order to be a good publicist, you must feel you can make an impact on a client’s brand.” I have thought about this guidance every day and have made sure to give my all to each project I am assigned.
I could go on and on forever about my phenomenal experience at Heron Agency, but I think the best part of my internship was being introduced to the Heron team. Noreen, Lianne, Megan, Gianna, Kathy, Sarah, and Anneliese are the group of women I had the most contact with throughout the experience, and that I aspire to be like. They welcomed me on my first day with open arms and really made me feel like I was part of the team. They answered any questions that I had and were always there to help when I asked for it. I can’t help but to be sad about the summer ending and having to say goodbye to everyone. This summer was one that I will always remember and forever be grateful for the opportunity I was given to intern for one of the top PR agencies in Chicago.
Thank you for everything, Heron!
