Reflections from Hawthorne's Summer Interns

From Jade Walker:

Jade is a recent graduate of DePaul University with both a bachelor's and master's degree in Communication and Media.

If you had asked me a year ago, I would have never imagined I would work in an agency. After doing in-house communications for so long, I had no idea what agency life had in store, but working at Hawthorne has been the farthest thing from a horror story.  

During my time at Hawthorne, I've been able to expand on the skills in which I already had a foundation. I've dived deeper into analytics and reporting for both our client, the Women's Business Development Center, and Hawthorne's social media and visibility efforts. Tracking post performance has helped me work with my fellow interns to develop our social media strategy. I also became familiar with the coverage reporting and analytics aspects of Muck Rack, a platform I had only used to build media lists before starting this internship.

After working in-house, I didn't have a strong understanding of agency structure, but working at Hawthorne has filled those gaps. Within my first week, I was doing research for a new business proposal, the first of three I would be involved in during my internship. Each potential client had a different relationship with the agency, different needs, and varying levels of complexity in the proposal process. I've learned how to juggle tasks for several different clients and manage the shifting priorities that come with that. I've also had the opportunity to take on client-facing work, such as supporting WBDC media training sessions or providing onsite support for Choose Chicago's Mid-Year Outlook event.

What stood out to me the most was how the Hawthorne team embraces collaboration. Everyone is happy to lend their expertise, a few minutes to brainstorm or an extra set of eyes on a release. They were always ready to provide feedback or examples for work I had never done before. From the beginning, I could tell that this is a safe space to grow (which I appreciated because I was certainly out of my comfort zone). Working with our clients meant moving faster and often with less information than I was used to. When I got stuck writing an award submission for an executive, we held a brainstorming session and worked through the sections I was struggling with.

I can already tell that rising to the new challenges of interning at Hawthorne is making me a better PR professional. I've also absorbed so much from watching the Hawthorne team work. Asking questions and understanding the strategies that they apply to client stories has helped me shape my thinking around strategy.

Understanding your clients as organizations and deeply understanding the humans within them is as important as any communication strategy we could craft. We all have our eccentricities and unique relationships, and I've seen firsthand how understanding how those pieces fit together makes the whole machine run more smoothly.

Working with Hawthorne this summer has been a great learning opportunity, allowing me to strengthen my skills and PR instincts while working alongside kind and talented people.

From Griffin Owens:

Griffin is a graduating senior at Loyola University Chicago with a B.A. in Public Relations & Advertising.

I am at my best when I feel like my work is having an impact. From day one at Hawthorne, I have felt exactly that.  Since joining the team, I have been able to work with people who are passionate about what they do and care about making a difference for their clients.  

Being a part of that environment has proven to be incredibly meaningful and a highlight of my internship experience. It has also been rewarding professionally, giving me the opportunity to see how strategic communications can support my clients and their communities.

During my time at Hawthorne, I have had a hand in developing content for owned channels, including newsletters, social media, and blogs for multiple clients. This includes Big Shoulders Fund, the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting quality education to under-resourced students, and Solar Powers Illinois (SPI), a coalition advocating for solar energy and battery storage in Illinois.

Over the course of my time working with SPI, I got familiar with the platforms they use, including Wix and Mailchimp. Previously, I was only vaguely familiar with them, having used both only once or twice before my time at Hawthorne. However, because of my work, I gained not only a deeper understanding of these tools but an appreciation of how they could be used to communicate with their audience as well as the best strategies used to reach them.

Media relations has been another big part of my responsibilities at Hawthorne. Whether coordinating with reporters to secure coverage for our clients or preparing weekly media reports for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), recapping any mention of the campus to the MPEA members, I have seen the importance of keeping clients informed and visible in the news cycle. Staying on top of a client’s industry is important for understanding not only your client but the opportunities where they can showcase their value.

The best thing about my time at Hawthorne: I never felt like I was on my own. Throughout my internship, my coworkers have been some of my biggest supporters, inviting me to share my perspective while giving me opportunities to learn from them. Feedback has an important part of the process, and it has helped me to grow into a stronger professional as a result.

No matter where I go from here, I know that the knowledge, experience and confidence that this team has helped me develop this summer will continue to serve me well.