Why an Internship Matters
As my chapter with GVSU comes to a close, I reflect on my time here to recognize everything I’ve learned, from peers and jobs to extracurricular activities. My internships stick out the most. You can only do so much learning in a classroom; as young PR professionals, we are shown how much experience does make a difference. You have to perfectly tailor your experience in whatever role to show you are the best at what you do, and why they should hire you. While the work to get your first internship gets hard, your overall involvement outside of the classroom matters more than you think. I want to reflect on specific tools and lessons that I learned from my internships.
Public Relations Intern - Lake Michigan Academy (LMA):
My first internship was the definition of getting thrown into the workforce. LMA didn’t have an internship program until it was developed by GrandPR’s Fall 2025 Team. I was able to take what the team had formed and put it into practice and refine it as my time there continued. I learned social media management, website development and design, event planning, how to use internal research tools, and continued to develop standard operating procedures towards the end of my time with LMA. The title of ‘Public Relations Intern’ showed just half of what I did. I learned how to truly multitask with LMA. As the PR expert with the organization, I was the one trusted with outreach and challenged with reaching new audiences on a daily basis. I am forever grateful for this opportunity being my first internship because I learned so much about myself and where I want to go with my career.
Social Media and Marketing Intern - Broadway Grand Rapids:
Something clicked with this internship. I learned what it feels like when work doesn’t feel like work. This internship highlighted social media very independently, but showed the power of community-driven events and how networking can truly change it all. Another community partner, or collaboration, continued to help me in this opportunity to learn the power of how connected we are, and how Grand Rapids continues to be the epicenter for opportunity as young professionals. I learned social media management on a whole new level here, needing 3 rounds of approval through shows, managing wide demographics across multiple digital platforms, and working with a level of independence that taught me I do need to figure it out. Resourcefulness is a skill I am glad I continued to retain throughout my career, because it's a matter of figuring it out for yourself most of the time. You want to be prepared for everything when approaching superiors and remember that everyone's time is valuable, so there is an art to being a great multitasker and advocate for yourself. While my time as a Social Media and Marketing Intern with Broadway Grand Rapids isn’t over, and I am continuing to develop a Fellowship through the organization, I'm learning more about myself and my career every day.
Communication and Marketing Intern - GVSU Career Center:
My time with the Grand Valley State University Career Center has been just over a month long, and while my learnings in the classroom have been put to use, there is a whole level of work and approval needed when preparing your pieces of work. Social media continues to be one of my main priorities; I also get to work on various career center newsletters that go out to our employers or even students. There is a science and flow to a newsletter that appears to readers and while most can figured out depending on previous examples, getting to know format of various writing pieces can make you a well-rounded writer as a growing PR professional. Knowing that I have so many hard-working people around me at the GVSU Career Center, I know I will continue to work closely to build relationships and prosper in my career, learning from some of the best.
This is more than just about one internship. This is about opportunities that appear in your prospering career that can continue to launch you into the start of so many exciting things. College courses can teach you so much according to the textbook and years of work, but experience is the golden word in PR.
Benjamin Sanko is a senior majoring in Advertising and Public Relations, minoring in Business, and receiving the Social Media Badge at GVSU. Ben furthers his professional experience as GrandPR’s Chief Digital Officer (CDO), working alongside the GVPRSSA Social Media Director and GrandPR’s Media Coordinator, along with Momentum Dance Club’s Social Media Manager. Ben plans to pursue a career in Entertainment PR/Advertising, in touring music, or touring theater!