By Hayley Hendrickson, Intern
Ever since I was a kid, I loved storytelling. I began my storytelling journey by reading The Magic Treehouse series when I was in 1st grade. I then upgraded to Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events books and finally graduated to the great white whale of children’s stories — Harry Potter. From then on, I voraciously devoured every book that came my way and frequently turned down an invite to the beach in favor of reading a good book.
My passion for reading quickly evolved into a passion for writing. At the University of Oregon, I majored in journalism and learned along the way that you can find great stories anywhere you look — as long as you’re willing to dig.
I pivoted to PR in the latter half of my college career because I wanted the chance to collaborate with others to help share their stories. I am extremely grateful that I found this road as it has led me to incredible opportunities in which I have been able to learn and grow.
Entering the workforce amidst a pandemic isn’t a scenario I imagined while I was preparing for post-grad life. But it has brought about its own set of life lessons that are valuable to me in ways I hadn’t even considered. Working independently and communicating virtually can be challenging, but The Hoffman Agency has made me feel both welcome and encouraged to give it my best shot.
Diving straight into the fast-paced agency life can feel intimidating, but the Hoffman team continuously guides the intern cohort through new tasks and pushes us out of our comfort zone. In conversations with team members, I feel inspired to not only ask about the hows, but the whys of the PR process. I have gained an even greater appreciation for all the details that go into conceptualizing a campaign.
After work, I tend to decompress by — you guessed it — reading a book. I find that I yearn to escape the computer screen as often as possible when I am not at work. As the pandemic has accelerated our migration to the digital world, it is more important than ever to step away from electronics. If I am not reading, I’m most likely going on nature walks or listening to new music.
I am so excited for the new experiences I’m bound to have at Hoffman, and I look forward to emerging from the other side with new skills under my belt.
