By Emma Schneider
It’s safe to say that no one could have predicted what the world has experienced over the past eight months. A shift from our normal routines of going to work, attending events and seeing our friends and family in-person to suddenly not being able to do so was a hard adjustment to make. Only halfway through the Spring 2020 semester, students scattered across the country were forced to finish the remainder of their classes from home. People not familiar with video technologies such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams or collaboration tools like Slack, were forced to educate themselves in order to effectively and successfully do their jobs.
Having had only one internship under my belt, I went into the summer with excitement and anticipation for the opportunities that awaited me in the fall semester. After much searching, the outlook for internships in my chosen field looked bleak. I knew that many companies would not be able to dole out an extensive internship due to the circumstances, and that if any did, it would most likely be remote. Finally, I was fortunate enough to come across and land a remote position as a publicity/marketing intern for Publisher Spotlight, a children’s book marketing firm based in Smyrna, Tennessee. Beginning the internship 450 miles away in Missouri seemed to be a daunting challenge, but quickly I learned that communicating and collaborating with my team via virtual channels was easier and more effective than ever.
I was introduced to a plethora of digital platforms that I had never heard of before. Time management tools like Toggl allowed me to track the time spent on specific projects throughout the work day, keeping me focused when my mind could have drifted due to the excessive distractions of being at home. My company utilizes Trello, a collaboration tool that organizes projects into manageable boards that tell you what’s being worked on, who’s working on what and where something is in the process. While I am not physically able to work in the office, digital technology has fostered a communicative and collaborative experience like no other.
Elizabeth Sutphin, a current PR Writing I student, also understands the challenges associated with interning in this “new normal.”
As an intern with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, Sutphin has been tasked with redesigning and revamping an out-of-date website and social media accounts. “It’s been so interesting because everything and everyone is online right now, so I feel like people are competing for attention on the interweb,” Sutphin said.
Learning and teaching over Zoom is often a give and take, and learning how to communicate over digital channels requires time. For Sutphin, finding new ways to establish personal connections with the publics for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board was vital. “Usually we would have events with collegiate ministries across the state, but because those have been canceled, we’ve had to find new ways to connect with students and get them to hear the same resources they would be hearing if they were at an in-person conference,” Sutphin said. “We’ve been taking a step back by doing video interviews and setting up a YouTube channel featuring different series with campus ministers to try to get students from collegiate ministries connected with others.”
Many adaptations have been made to our working lives and one unifying aspect holds true–we are not in it alone. “While we’re all online, there is such a unique opportunity for people to connect with others they wouldn’t have gotten the chance to had it just been a normal semester,” Sutphin said. “There are so many more resources at your fingertips.”
Emma Schneider is a senior publishing and design communications student from Springfield, Missouri currently enrolled both Principles of Public Relations and PR Writing I. With a passion for creativity and a knack for writing, she aspires to have a marketing career in the book publishing industry. She can typically be found fulfilling her sweet tooth, listening to Shania Twain or watching “Friends” for the hundredth time.
The associated image features Social Media and Public Relations students prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.