The Life of a High School Intern

 

For years, I knew that my mom worked in public relations (PR), but I did not know exactly what that meant. Before this week, my perception of PR was my mom writing long “essays” about many different things.  This week, I have been lucky enough to help out at Feintuch Communications and had the opportunity to learn about the public relations business and all that goes into it.

Before we go there, let me tell you how I got here…

During the last three weeks of the school year, my high school hosts a program called “Senior Experience.” This program allows students to choose an internship program at any company to learn about an industry in which they are interested. I chose to do my internship at Feintuch Communications because I knew that I wanted to learn more about public relations and marketing.  

In my first week at Feintuch Communications, Henry Feintuch and his team have shown me how public relations works and everything that goes into it on a daily basis. I have had the chance to learn about many of the different activities that a PR firm can do for its clients – ranging from distributing press releases to working with industry analysts (professionals who provide regular reports on a company and its business). I have had the chance to shadow Henry and the other members of the team including Darby Fledderjohn, account coordinator, and Emily Simmons, senior account executive, to see exactly what goes on.

The Feintuch Communications team has taught me how to do many things in PR that I would have never known such as the correct time to send out press releases and how to help companies build their reputations from the ground up. One of the most interesting things that I have learned so far is from a webinar on social media (The Art of the Perfect Social Media Post). This webinar explained how to use social media websites to a company’s advantage and the best times to use them throughout the week.

My time at Feintuch Communications has given me a greater understanding of the public relations and marketing industry. I’m heading to college at SUNY Oneonta in just a few short months and look forward to the academic road ahead.

Ross Binder is a student at John F. Kennedy high school in Bellmore, Long Island, New York. He currently is working as an intern for Feintuch Communications to learn more about the public relations business as part of his school’s “Senior Experience” program.  He also enjoys studying languages such as Italian and Spanish as well as American history.