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| Samantha Meyer |
One of our former public
relations interns, Samantha Meyer, recently took the time to write about how
her internship with the Georgia Museum of Art helped her find her ideal career
path. Meyer is currently the lead career consultant for the Grady College of Journalism
and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
During my time as a student at the University of Georgia, I worked as a
public relations intern for the Georgia Museum of Art. I was thrilled to land
this role and learn more about my chosen major and career path in the context
of art in the Athens community. I was excited to learn about the basics of
PR—how to write a press release, practicing my writing skills and generally
learning how to communicate effectively on behalf of an organization. I had no
idea that I would learn so much more about my future career path and myself.
One of my favorite things about working at the museum was that I was
trusted to do the work I was assigned. I was responsible for touching base with
curators about upcoming exhibitions for the advance exhibition schedule, and I
managed the process of tracking press clippings. I was also writing press
releases frequently—and about some major initiatives, at that. I mean, I wrote
a release about Michelle
Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, y’all!
As intimidating as that all may have sounded to me at the time, I
learned that I love autonomy in any role I assume; I will always appreciate the
trust that was put into me during my time as a public relations intern.
In addition, I learned how to carry myself in an office setting. As a
first generation college student, I didn’t understand the importance of this.
The museum was a wonderful learning environment as I processed how to
collaborate with peers and superiors, how to take constructive criticism and
simply how to work effectively within an organization.
An unexpected outcome of my time at the museum was learning how much I
enjoyed working in higher education. Working at the Georgia Museum of Art
taught me that there were ways to apply my communications experience in support
of causes and organizations that make an impact on their communities and stand
for something meaningful. I realized that I couldn’t work for an organization
whose mission and impact I didn’t support. As a double major in public
relations and women’s studies, coupled with my time at the museum, I realized
my values would play a huge role in my career—something that I was
unable to foresee early on in my time at UGA.
Nowadays, it’s my job to help
current University of Georgia students figure out what they want to do with
their careers. One of the first things we encourage at the UGA Career Center is
to get experience (such as internships) to help them learn what they might want
to do. I encourage starting out in campus roles (and have even recommended GMOA
before!) so students can begin learning what they like, what they don’t like,
and what they want more of in future roles. Though I’m no longer working in the
art world, there was no better setting for me to gain experience for my future
career than the Georgia Museum of Art.
For more
information on our internship opportunities, you can read about our various positions
here or fill out an application.
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