Annie Blewett

This summer, I had the fantastic privilege of interning at Profiles, Inc., a public relations firm in Baltimore, Md. I observed many hard-working, driven business-women, and learned a lot. Here are three key things I learned from my summer experience:

1. Always be prepared to roll with the punches.  I was given the opportunity to attend the B&O American Brasserie restaurant opening, the Walter Sondheim fountain dedication, and the Carefirst BlueCross BlueShield legislative reception, “The Carefirst Commitment.” All of these events were tremendously successful, but hard work doesn’t make you exempt from Murphy’s Law. While setting up for the outdoor fountain dedication, what better surprise than a thunderstorm and torrential downpour?  There’s not much you can do control the weather. But you can, shield yourself (in your white dress) with an umbrella until the rain stops, wipe off the chairs, relocate the podium, and put a smile on. 

2. A strong work ethic can get you far. The account executives at Profiles have tireless dedication to their jobs. They work late if they need to, they pay attention to the details, and they do everything in their power to make sure the client gets what they want. This is a hugely valuable lesson, and I hope to emulate this commitment in any of my future endeavors. 

3. The skills you learn in Kindergarten are still fundamental to your adult life. For example, cutting a straight line. I never realized how important this is, nor did I realize that my inability to cut a straight line would come back to haunt me. One of my responsibilities as intern was to clip articles about our clients when I came into the office in the morning; there is a very specific formula for this. During my first week, my extremely crooked and unprofessional looking clips just didn’t make the cut (pun intended). I practiced my cutting skills, and by week two I was up to par with every other 20-year-old on the planet. For the record, I would like to blame my poor cutting ability on my left-handed-ness.

Overall, this summer was great— experiencing the glory of Baltimore and the excitement of the PR world. I sampled gourmet food at the B&O American Brasserie test meals, I got to see the behind-the-scenes of the National Aquarium (I worked on part of a media tracking report for them), and I was able to see all of the living mayors of Baltimore in one place!  Thank you Profiles for the fabulous opportunities that were alloted to me!

The ladies from Profiles and I at the B&O American Brasserie Grand Opening!