INTERN
Summer
Hoagland-Abernathy
Summer Hoagland-Abernathy uses empathy and strategy to guide her storytelling, project planning, and research. At the core of every interaction is a person, and whether she’s working on a city-wide press release or a newsletter for a close-knit community, Summer understands that each audience member wants to feel understood. Her passion for human connection drives her strategic insights and creative processes.
Before Hawthorne, she worked with One of a Kind Hospitality as PR and Marketing Aide, boosting newsletter subscriptions, driving influencer engagement, and connecting with the surrounding community. Before that, she worked in the Chicago Mayor’s Press Office, managing the intern team, monitoring news media, copy editing press releases, and drafting various communications materials.
At Hawthorne, Summer utilizes these experiences, as well as her journalistic background, to research and synthesize information, draft press materials, and strategize on communications projects. She sees the importance of community as a driver for engagement and personal connection, and this understanding guides her decision-making in project planning and writing.
Outside of work, Summer is completing her M.A. in Public Relations and Advertising at DePaul University. When she can find an hour after completing schoolwork, she enjoys strategy board games and video games with the roomies.
Education: M.A. in Public Relations and Advertising at DePaul University, Double B.A. in Magazine Journalism and Playwriting at Columbia College of Chicago, A.A. in Journalism at Illinois Valley Community College
Three favorite hobbies outside of work: Writing fiction, playing roguelites on her Steamdeck, singing
Currently reading: The "My Roommate is a Vampire” series by Jenna Levine
Currently listening to: "Some Like It Hot (Original Broadway Recording)” (2023)
One fact about Summer that will surprise you: She is a master of Tae Kwon Do
Favorite food: Hot chip
Coffee order: Rose or ube matcha (with oat milk on special days)
Pets: Melo, a soft-coated wheaten terrier