I have known that I wanted to work in public relations since I was 10 years old. That may sound like an exaggeration, but as a tween, I was infatuated with the competition reality show America’s Next Top Model. Unlike some people who watched this show, I did not want to be a model; instead, I wanted to be just like my favorite judge on the show, Kelly Cutrone. I knew nothing about her other than that I liked her, and her job title was “PR Maven.”
At age 10, I did not know what PR was or even what the word “maven” meant, but I decided that it was my dream job.
Years later, being a PR maven stuck with me. I was part of the school newspaper in high school and took a media studies class, where I studied what PR was and learned it was more than just judging reality TV shows. It seemed right up my alley, so I started looking for colleges with PR and communications programs. I ended up at the University of Oregon (UO) School of Journalism and Communication, and I loved that it had a dedicated PR major.
Throughout my time at the University of Oregon, I had an idea of my ideal first post-graduation job. I wanted to work at an agency, stay in the Pacific Northwest and work in a supportive environment that valued learning and growth, which is how I found The Hoffman Agency. A mutual on LinkedIn shared the job post, and I remembered hearing about the agency during a class at UO. As I did more research about Hoffman, I knew I needed to apply. It seemed like the perfect fit.
After each interview, I was even more sure that Hoffman was the place I needed to be. When I got the email that I had been selected as an intern, I was over the moon.
In the week before my first day, I was so nervous and excited. I couldn’t wait to start. So many thoughts swirled around my head: What kind of work would I be doing? What will the team be like? Would people be nice? After the first day, Hoffman exceeded my expectations. Everyone was so kind, and I couldn’t have been happier with the decision to join the Spring cohort program at Hoffman.
Throughout my time at Hoffman, I look forward to learning all about tech PR and what life is like working at an agency.
I’m so excited to learn and grow throughout my internship. While starting a new job can be daunting, I’m so grateful to everyone for being so welcoming and helpful.
