The Bartow native says she chose to attend Flagler College since it is at the center of active and historic St. Augustine.  She practices her PR skills by writing a blog about what’s happening in St. Augustine, called “The St. Augustine Clambake.”

The blog started out as a project in her magazine writing class, but found it was a new and fun way to keep her creativity flowing.  The original assignment was to write a blog with a specific purpose in mind and she chose a topic she thought would be the easiest to manage.   When her blog received hits and likes she was excited and encouraged to continue it. “It feels freer than journalism because writing the blog feels story like,” Laura said.

Laura has practiced her interviewing skills and her blog writing techniques as a result of writing the blog.  At the end of her project, she won a contest for “best blog” out of the two class sections that competed.

Majoring in public relations with a minor in graphic design gives Laura the ability to make brochures, promote events, choose themes, and organize PR campaigns, things she loves to do. She worked on a proposal to change the image of Mothers Against Drunk Driving for a class project.  During this project she remade the MADD logo into something more vibrant and youth-friendly.  Laura suggested MADD become more involved in social media and change their website from a “mother-oriented” website into one that a younger audience could relate to.

Another suggestion of Laura’s was to orchestrate a program that operated similarly to SunPass but would work when an individual is too intoxicated to drive home safely. It would be called “Ride to Save Lives.” The program would operate via a debit card-like device.  Money would be placed in an account linked to the card and would be available for use when an individual is too intoxicated to drive.  On the card would be the phone number of a local cab company.  Once the cab delivers the individual to their destination, the person would use the card as a means of paying the cab driver, just like using a debit card. She felt that MADD should be more against drinking and driving, not necessarily drinking.  “Drink responsibly and have a designated driver,” said Laura.

She would love to have the opportunity to work in a PR position in Italy or France. However, Laura said she feels she would be more suited in the PR department of Tiburon, an Electronic Arts games development studio located in Maitland, Florida.

“I started off wanting to do graphic design for video games, but then realized that I could use my public relations skills to promote video games.” Laura said.

Video games hold a special place in her heart because she plays them with her family, and watches her brother play games like Madden NFL.  What made her fall in love with EA, though, was the Sims.

She said, “The way you can build your own house or change the Sims personality is so customizable.  It’s kind of like acting, but you get to play God. The more expansion packs you add, the more options you get on things like additions to the house or job types.”

Laura has become a part of Flagler College’s acting department and has been active in performing The Yellow Dress, a play about a young woman’s journey through a relationship that started beautifully, and ended in tragic domestic violence.  Domestic violence was a topic that Laura didn’t know much about before performing in The Yellow Dress, but now that she is more informed, she wishes to integrate her PR skills into promoting awareness of domestic violence in public schools.

Modrall says that in five years, “I’d love to have my loans paid off” in addition to working with the school board system to promote awareness of domestic violence, or in Tiburon’s PR department.

She wants to learn how to write better press releases, and learn more about Web publishing and how to write an effective blog from this internship.

Laura will definitely get the writing practice and fine tuning that she desires from this internship, and we’re excited to watch as she grows as a writer and PR specialist.

For Laken, writing is the most fascinating aspect of her profession, and she said she has had plenty of experience with writing stories and poetry in her free time.

“I enjoy writing in PR, because I am able to take information and put it into a story format” said Laken.

Born in West Virginia, Laken and her family moved to Miami, Fla., when she was 10, where she lived until moving to Lakeland to attend college.  She now calls Lakeland home, and loves experiencing the city by spending time with friends and walking around at First Friday events.

She chose Florida Southern because it is a liberal arts college with a tight-knit campus and small classes.  Her first semester, she shared a room with three other girls.

“It was a good experience of close encounters,” joked Laken.

It was there at Florida Southern that she first discovered our Lakeland public relations firm.

While searching the Internet for local public relations internships, Laken came across an article about one of our former interns.  Intrigued by the success of a student in a similar situation to herself, Laken was motivated to apply in hope of securing an internship of her own.

Although new, Laken has already learned many valuable lessons in the public relations track, and when looking back on the things that she has written, she can’t help but to feel proud.

“Whoa, I actually wrote that? Cool,” she said of the experience.

Laken’s name is as unique and fun as she is, and she explained that it is Native American for “abundance of riches.”

“Seeing as I’m a broke college student, it doesn’t mean riches in money!” she said, although she went on to admit that she was wealthy in the support of friends and family.

In the future, Laken hopes to take the knowledge she has learned here and combine it with her passion for advertising.  She believes that this real-world experience will help her to become a well-rounded employee in the future.

Karen Snir is a junior majoring in public relations and minoring in Spanish. Karen says she views this internship is a great step forward. We agree. There’s nothing like learning by doing, and that’s what we offer college interns- a chance to apply what they learn in the classroom.

So far, Karen has helped out with promoting some events for one of our Lakeland non-profit clients, and she has increased her knowledge of press release writing. She’s a no-nonsense hard worker who comes in each day and gives us her best effort.

Originally from Re’ut, Israel, Hebrew is Karen’s first language. She also is fluent in English, and is conversational in French and Spanish. She loves to apply her worldly knowledge to her PR work.

Although she grew up in a small town, Karen always has wanted to see the world. Her family relocated to Washington D.C. when she was 13, and she attended a public school in Maryland for a year. From that point, she dreamed of returning to the U.S. to earn a college degree.

Karen isn’t just a student; she’s also a teacher. She teaches Hebrew at Temple Emanuel in Lakeland in her spare time, and she belongs to Kappa Delta Sorority, in which she takes part in a number of philanthropic activities.

When she isn’t studying, teaching or volunteering, Karen loves to travel. She visits different states during each of her school breaks, and she has visited more than a dozen countries.

“I love learning about other cultures,” she says. “I am hopeful that my education and experience will give me an advantage when the time comes for me to seek full-time employment.”

After college, Karen says she hopes to combine her love of language, culture and public relations to find a job in the international relations field. For now, she is focused on graduating from Florida Southern while having gained as much real-world experience during the process as possible.

Danielle, a senior at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee majoring in public relations, actually is splitting her internship between our Lakeland public relations firm and the Downtown Lakeland Partnership.

After returning from a trip with Lee University’s Communications Department to Germany and Austria, Danielle found the perfect place to gain PR experience in her hometown of Lakeland, she said. She began her internship the following Monday.

“I’m really excited about working with an agency and the Downtown Lakeland Partnership; this way I can get a lot of diverse experience and I’m still close to home,” said Danielle. “I’m already writing blog posts and working with social media, and I’ve only been here for a few days.”

Internships offer knowledge and experience that classrooms can’t. By exposing those pursuing careers in the public relations field to real-world situations and experiences, students can learn by doing, not solely by reading about it in a textbook. An internship is a great way of developing a student’s skills in the art of public relations.

I’m happy to have Danielle here for the summer. When I learned that Julie Townsend at the Downtown Lakeland Partnership also could use some help, we decided we could divide Danielle’s time to also give her some experience working with a non-profit.

While attending Lee University, Danielle has gained experience in event planning through her involvement with the Student Leadership Council. She also is a member of Lee University’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter.

“I’m always seeking opportunities to learn and Lee University has given me those opportunities, in and outside of the classroom,” Danielle said. “I know Lorrie is no exception and will definitely give me real world PR experience unlike any other that I’ve had before and I’m excited to learn more about what public relations entails.”

After graduating, Danielle plans to handle public relations for a non-profit organization and eventually start her own PR agency.

We are excited to make Danielle a part of the team here, and will expose her to a wide range of PR activities so she leaves us with the proper knowledge she needs to pursue her goals with confidence.

We’re also excited to have two interns this summer. That’s a first for us. So in addition to being able to provide them with the type of on-the-job training they desire, we’re getting some much-needed assistance. We welcome that.

October graduated May 6 and started her internship with us the following Monday.

“I walked into this situation thinking that I would spend the majority of my summer filing and running errands, and I was thankfully mistaken,” said October. “I am grateful for this amazing opportunity Lorrie has given me, and I hope to make her proud in my future accomplishments.”

I believe that you can learn the concepts in the classroom, but we all know there is nothing like on-the-job-training to make someone better at their craft. We’re happy to have her on board for the summer, and plan to expose her to a variety of PR activities so she leaves us feeling confident that she has the skills necessary to pursue a public relations career.

Before attending Southeastern University, October worked in the pediatric and orthodontic dentistry fields.

“When I first decided to go to school for dental assisting I was working in retail and my hours weren’t steady,” said October. “I decided to find a stable career that I showed interest in, and would enjoy every day.”

Lorrie Walker Communications does a lot of work for Internet marketing firms that specialize in working with dentistry and orthodontic practices. Because of that, we work extensively with dentists and orthodontists to write Web content, articles and press releases.

When I found out that October had experience in the pediatric and orthodontic dentistry, I felt like I’d hit the lottery. As a writer with this experience, I think she’s going to help us as much as we will help her.

Intern Opportunities:
- Researching and writing news releases and articles for search engine optimization purposes.
- Using social media to meet clients’ public relations goals.
- Working on campaigns for private companies and local non-profit organizations.

Qualifications:
- Candidate should have strong interviewing and writing skills and must know how to use the Associated Press Stylebook.
- Candidate must be able to work on deadline and must have the discipline to work alone and as part of a team.

Equipment Requirements:
- Candidate must have his/her own laptop computer and Internet access.

Other Information:
Part-time; flexible hours. This is primarily a telecommuting position.

How to Apply:
Applicants should e-mail a resume and three writing samples, including articles and press releases to:
Lorrie Delk Walker, president. E-mail: lorrie@lorriewalker.com, Phone 863-614-0555.
Deadline to apply is Oct. 29.

Intern Responsibilities:
Research and write basic news releases and articles for search engine optimization purposes. Work on media campaigns as opportunities become available.

Intern Qualifications:
Candidate should have strong interviewing and writing skills and must know how to use the Associated Press Stylebook. Candidate must be able to work on deadline and must have the discipline to work alone and as part of a team.

Other Information:
Part-time; flexible hours. This is primarily a telecommuting position that requires weekly meetings with supervisor. This is a paid internship.

How to Apply:
Applicants should e-mail a resume and three writing samples of articles and press releases to:

Lorrie Delk Walker, president. E-mail: lorrie@lorriewalker.com, Phone 863-614-0555.

Deadline to apply for summer internship is May 8.

It seems that each time I check Twitter, Heather has another great opportunity posted. My advice to college public relations students is to check out Heather’s Web site and start following her on Twitter. She’s easy to find: heatherhuhman. Also, you can search for #PRIntern on Twitter and find her tweets. The opportunities she promotes are from throughout the country.

It seems that many college students have difficulty finding PR, journalism and marketing internships locally. So recently I posted a list of Lakeland, Florida public relations, journalism and marketing internship opportunities.

If your company or non-profit organization has an internship opportunity available, email me and we’ll get it posted for you: lorrie@lorriewalker.com.

2009 Internship Opportunities

SPCA of Polk County, Inc.

Type of internship: public relations and/or marketing

Description of Internship Opportunity : non-profit agency seeking interns interested in gaining experience in press release writing, media relations, web site design/maintenance, marketing, design, grassroots outreach and customer service

Education/experience requirements: experience in writing, content management systems, adobe design software preferred; outgoing personalities, team players, multi-taskers and self-motivated individuals a must

Hours: part time

Salary: unpaid

Contact: Rachel Bulman, Public Relations Director, rachel@lovemyspca.com, 863/646-7722 ext. 105

Florida Dance Theatre

Type of internship: public relations and/or marketing

Description of Internship Opportunity: Under the guidance of FDT staff, write press releases and disseminate information regarding the company’s performances and activities. Promote FDT to the Polk County community. Help coordinate events, write grants, and perform general record keeping, as needed.

Education/Experience requirements: Public Relations or Marketing student. Strong writing and interpersonal skills required. Must be an independent worker and self-starter. Must be able to take specific direction and be open to instruction.

Hours: Flexible hours, preferably a minimum of 12 – 15 per week.

Salary: Unpaid

Contact: Carol Krajacic-Erkes Artistic & Founding Director, 802-0399, Carol@floridadancetheatre.org

Polk County Government-PGTV

Type of internship: journalism, public relations and marketing opportunities

Description of Internship Opportunity : Develop/implement PR/marketing exposure and/or write articles/press releases for government television channel, using free resources

Education/experience requirements: College, entry level is fine

Hours: Flexible, will work with student schedule/availability

Salary: Unpaid. No budget available, but great for students needing school credit

Contact: Joan Davies, PGTV Programming Director, 863-534-5997, joandavies@polk-county.net

Pain Solutions Magazine (A new national magazine being published out of Lakeland)

Description of Internship Opportunity: Journalism, public relations and marketing opportunities.

Education/experience requirements: If they want to do writing for the Website I would like some writing samples. Otherwise, I would simply prefer a junior or senior or graduated student.

Hours: part-time

Salary: unpaid

Contact: Contact Diana Young-Stewart at 863/688-8181 or dystewart@painsolutionsmagazine.com .

Downtown Lakeland Partnership, Inc.

Type of internship: public relations and marketing opportunities available

Description of Internship Opportunity: The DLP will provide an opportunity to explore a wide range of PR and marketing experiences. We are a membership-based marketing cooperative whose purpose is to market Downtown Lakeland to residents and visitors. Our members include banks, owner operated retail stores, nonprofit organizations and more. We write press releases, create marketing materials and develop marketing plans, manage social media, organize and execute events, develop cross marketing opportunities, work with businesses and organizations on their marketing needs, and market ourselves to new and existing businesses on the benefits of membership in the DLP. As an intern you will create marketing materials, meet with business owners to determine their marketing needs, conduct surveys, write press releases, execute cross marketing opportunities with Downtown businesses and events, practice event management, have hands on public relations through events and DLP meetings and work with our board of directors, currently chaired by Kevin Jones, President of MidFlorida Federal Credit Union. This unique experience will expose you to dozens of businesses and nonprofit organizations and their decision makers.

Education/experience requirements: Knowledge of basic computer programs, such as word and excel a must. A work knowledge of graphics program s such as Photoshop and Indesign ( or Quark) preferable. Must have transportation, have an outgoing personality, and good communication skills.

Hours: part-time and very flexible.

Salary: There may be an end-of-the-internship stipend, not yet determined by the board.

Contact: Julie Townsend, Executive Director. PO Box 3499, Lakeland FL 33802; (863) 513-3669

Polk Arts Alliance, Inc.

Type of internship: public relations

Description of Internship Opportunity : to prepare pr materials for our annual race for the arts (3/21) and to do our press releases. With limited staff, even though I am well experienced, it’s a time issue. Our Race Chairman is Commissioner Bob English, so it’s good marketing as well. Could also use someone who is an experienced blogger and hooked into social networks to create a web presence.

Education/experience requirements: need to see writing samples and no first year students. Must be computer literate.

Hours: Flexible

Salary: Unpaid

Contact: Mischelle Anderson, Executive Director. PO Box 727, Bartow, FL 33815-0727; (863) 804-0494; director@polkartsalliance.org

Genie Publishing

Type of internship: marketing

Description of Internship Opportunity : An opportunity with flexible hours and full independence to someone who is skilled at computer marketing and/or Web site design.

Education/experience requirements: Must be computer skilled for Web site and computer marketing.

Hours: part-time

Salary: $8/hr or by project

Contact: gay@geniepub.com