My roommate, Ryan along with Bailey, Ashley and Kelsie at my show in Warner Robins
I interned for a total of ten weeks, and worked around 40 hours per week, so I really got the feeling of a “real job” at times. I had my own office, I had my own phone number, and even had a computer to work on. (Granted, the computer was older than the first Windows based computer my family bought). Each week began with a staff meeting. These meetings reminded me of executive staff meetings for WGUR. Each person was asked what they were currently working on, updates from their department, and other points of interest. I never had much to report, but it was exciting when I got to talk about the projects I did have.
My supervisor, Stephanie Robinson was a great person to know. I appreciated her honesty throughout the internship. She bluntly, but professionally told me what worked and what didn’t. She gave me lots to do but also didn’t hold my hand, and let me figure things out on my own from time to time. I spent most of my time working as the press release writer. I didn’t mind, though, as my writing skills continued to improve throughout the ten weeks. I honestly think I could write a press release in my sleep now.
I also created a survey for the Museum, which was a lot of fun. I got to meet a lot of people and I enjoyed the interaction. One of my final tasks was to introduce the Museum of Aviation to social media. This was a great task, as I have a great foundation in this area. I created a personal blog for the Museum, a Twitter page, and a Facebook profile. I was amazed at how well the Facebook page took off. By the time I left my internship, over 600 people indicated they were fans of the Museum. It was a great feeling.
All things considered, I really had a great internship experience. I could not have asked for a better staff to work for, though, and I know I can count on each of them for job recommendations in the future.
Finally, I want to point out my internship was not my only non-paid full-time job this summer. As you are all aware, I did a show this summer. Neil Simon’s “Rumors.” I would literally leave work at the Museum at 5, have dinner with my parents and go to rehearsal at 7. I didn’t get home until nearly 11 or so each evening. We performed the show a total of twelve times but I loved every minute of it. The show was a smashing success! Papers who reviewed me listed me as quote, “the breakout star” and one paper said my monologue was an “academy award winning performance.” It was a wonderful feeling! OBVIOUSLY, this was the best part of my summer. I really bonded with the cast, and I miss them terribly.
To those of you who missed it, fear not! You will get to see it soon. They made a DVD and it should be ready soon. To Ashley, Bailey and Kelsie thank y’all for coming! It really meant a lot to have you there. Also a big thank you for the well wishes and broken leg shout outs some of you sent. (Ging, your email and Tweet messages kept my character going even off stage, thank you!) I know it sounds cliché but this was the best summer of my life. I mean it. The best... EVER! (Oh, and if you're wondering why there's a bloody patch on my ear you'll have to wait and see...)
