This blog was written by MDC’s intern, Addison Edwards, about her experience at MDC.
Going into my internship with Metro Drug Coalition in January, I had no idea what the next four months had in store for me. My internship with MDC has been a challenging, yet motivating part of my collegiate career and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have served as the public relations intern for MDC during my last four months of college. I learned more in four months with MDC than I ever did in the classroom.
Internships serve as a hybrid for students who are in-between the classroom and entering into the world of work. They bring to light what a student learns in the classroom and then give students wings to fly with those skills. My internship was no different. I was able to apply the skills that I learned throughout my public relations coursework at the University of Tennessee, and use them doing public relations “real-world” work.
One of the things that challenged me most during my internship was my required media pitching assignment. I was required to pitch a story to the media and then do a filmed take for TV. This assignment forced me out of my comfort zone, which was something that I needed, and now I feel more confident when given a task that might intimidate me at first.
Working at MDC not only challenged me to reach out of my comfort zone, it also aided me in getting further involved with my community. This is something that I wanted going into my internship, but found that it was harder than I thought to make the first step to get involved in my community. Networking with individuals that had the same vision as MDC was a privilege and I will be able to keep these contacts as I continue my work in Knoxville.
Thanks to the MDC staff, I was able to grow from my internship on a personal and professional level. Being able to learn strategic public relations tactics while reaching outside of my comfort zone will help me tremendously wherever I go next.