Blog Entry # 7

Calvin Hayes

Blog Entry # 7

My internship experience this semester is professionally fulfilling and is preparing me for my career in every way. I work with the FAMU Office of International Education. In this capacity I work as a public relations intern and a special assistant to the director of the program. My job has a structured atmosphere; however, the staff grants me as much flexibility as needed. I spend equally as much hours in the office as I do out of the office. Being that much of my job involves outreach I prefer to be out of the office engaging students about international programs. My average work week involves work everyday of the week, but I put about 5 hours in each Tuesday and Thursday because I have the least amount of classes on those days. Overall, I feel like I work for the office every single day because, I constantly find myself doing something to promote international affairs on campus most of the time. Personally, my internship is more like a lifestyle and less like a job.

I am learning more than I expected from my internship. In my pursuit to expand global awareness on campus, I find myself learning about growing trends across the international spectrum. The field of public diplomacy requires one to be fully engaged in current events that are going one throughout the world.  In order to communicate effectively about international programs, it requires me to know a great deal about the climate of each country that I converse about. In addition, there are new study abroad programs and fellowships that are formed each day. Usually, I can learn about programs and fellowships that I can apply for after graduation. I also enjoy my internship because it allows me to meet and engage the many international students that are on campus. Although FAMU is an HBCU, the institution is very diverse. It is a pleasure to help these foreign students and make them feel welcome to the university. My favorite part of the internship is finding students from all majors and explaining to them how they can take their degree to a global platform.

There are many goals that I would like to accomplish on my internship. Over t he course of this year, I have been able to get a lot done. One of my biggest goals was to form a partnership between the Office of International Education and Student Government. Recently, I was able to get these two entities to form a sustainable committee so that they may garner a better relationship and share resources. Another goal that I had was to form a partnership with the FAMU Recreational Center. As a PR Intern, I have already been instrumental in getting the recreational center to start non- traditional sports programs to include international students. Additionally, I have been able to get 7 additional students to take critical language courses offered at the university. My internship is purpose driven and I’m accomplishing goals that will have a lasting impact on the university.

Blog Entry # 6

Calvin Hayes

PR Practicum

Blog Entry # 6

Mr. Ron Sachs proved to be one of the best public speakers I have ever heard in my entire life. Mr. Sachs followed an outlined and structured approach to engage the class in a powerful way. Although he didn’t have much time to present, he was sure to compact very details in a concise manner so that it was meaningful and understandable to the audience. Before Mr. Sachs began to speak, I didn’t think he was the joking or humorous type. Instead, I thought he was a serious and traditional public relations specialist that gave us the pure facts and nothing else. Although, I thought he would give a standard presentation, he went above and beyond my expectations and delivered the most powerful crash course in surviving in the public relations environment. Mr. Sachs was both inspiring and insightful. The key point that was most meaningful to me has everything to do with not settling. He suggested that it is better to get paid less to follow your passion, then to work in a field that does not interest you. In my own life, I know that my career is one that requires a gradual process in order to become extremely successful. His advice taught me to never take shortcuts and also to spend my time only doing the things that will develop me in the long run.

Mr. Sachs’ 50- minute presentation went quickly. There were several aspects of PR that I wanted him to expound upon that he wasn’t able to because of time constraints. I personally wanted Mr. Sachs to talk more in detail about building your personal brand. After reading a recent article in our PR Practicum class about personal branding, I have been intrigued by the overall concept of branding. I am sure that a man of his stature, caliber and career experience has had to work increasingly hard to cultivate his personal brand. Hence, that’s why I thought it was necessary for the class to learn from the best about this particular subject. If Mr. Sachs wanted to make his presentation better he could have asked the class personal questions about our career goals and desires. If he asked us those types of questions he could tailor all of his responses to help us with our specific needs and concerns. Overall, I think we could have had more time to do the presentation. If we had more time, there could have been more questions asked and additional advice given. I thought it was a great presentation regardless of the time.

Mr. Ron Sachs presentation taught me different skills that I can use to make my internship more meaningful. One of the ways he mentioned individuals could be successful is by being the first person at work and the last person to leave. I am going to adopt this strategy with my internship at the FAMU Office of International Education. I think this will show the staff that I am willing to contribute extra effort to complete a given tasks. A move of this type also would show that I have good character and that I’m willing to sacrifice my time for the well being of the office. I understand that time is a very scarce resource. Therefore, showing up early and leaving late would show that I am willing to use my most scare resource in the aid and development of doing great work without getting paid. Doing more than expected is truly the mark of a real leader.