PR Field Experience Three Ways
MSU PR students dish on different internship paths for career discovery
By: Aidan Riley
For many students, trying to wrap up their public relations degree, finding an internship to fulfill their required 250 hours of PR field experience can be challenging. While it may seem like landing a big internship is the only option, there are many routes to getting great experience through varied opportunity and student passion.
Meet Kara Sigler, Social Media Intern at Hotworx
Kara Sigler is a PR Major graduating in 2025. In summer 2023, she worked at Hotworx, a fitness studio franchise. Sigler’s internship covered many areas, including sales and social media management. She had the opportunity to run the franchise’s Instagram and Facebook accounts and even created a TikTok for them. Sigler said she gained valuable experience from her internship.
“My job as the social media manager inspired me to pursue PR as a profession,” said Sigler. “It’s such a versatile career with endless possibilities.”
Sigler says her experience working at Hotworx was enjoyable because she had an opportunity to connect with different people through her work. Since she landed a smaller internship, she had more chances to step out of her comfort zone and work in her own style.
“I think the best part working in PR was the ability to connect with new people,” said Sigler. “I also really appreciated my managers granting me creative freedom. After seeing my infographics, they asked if I would decorate the chalkboard display with new deals.”
Meet Jason Morris, Intern at Columbia University
Jason Morris, an MSU PR Major, worked at Columbia University over the summer. During his internship, Morris took photos for social media and used graphic design to help promote the university’s pre-college program. He said this internship gave him the opportunity to narrow down his career options after he graduates.
“My internship did help me gain knowledge in what I want to do with my career,” said Morris. “It gave me experience that will help with looking for a job or other internship in the future.”
Meet Maria Bonucchi, Marketing Intern at MSU’s Wharton Center
Maria Bonnucci, a PR junior at MSU, works at the Wharton Center as a part of their student marketing organization. She assists cast and crew members and helps traveling show marketing directors promote shows.
“This position has definitely improved my communication skills and my ability to determine when a strategy needs to change,” said Bonnucci. “By looking at our media post interaction, I’m able to gauge how receptive our audience is of ideas much better now than I was before. I feel that understanding how to analyze the success of a campaign will be beneficial in my future career.”
Learn more about MSU’s PR Field Experience Program online at https://comartsci.msu.edu/academics/academic-departments/advertising-public-relations/undergraduate/public-relations-field.