Two weeks into my internship I would have never expected to be spending the day with my client. Three internships under my belt left me with a predetermined vision of the role I would play within MWW. Past experiences, along with hearing the common tales of intern horror stories, prepared me for routine tasks, minor projects and quiet observances of my superiors.

However, from the moment I stepped through the glassy gates of MWW and my computer fired up with all systems go, I realized quickly that this would not play out as I had anticipated. Within my first day I was submerged, deep. I was promptly assigned duties and projects that surpassed my expectations and I welcomed the new challenge with pleasure.

This, I quickly learned was not a standard internship. Through actual client interaction, meeting participation and valued contributions, I have been provided the tools to evolve immensely.

My time at MWW has been, without a doubt, the most hands-on of my professional experience. The exposure and involvement has been invaluable. The ability to participate and have my skills and talents recognized has made every second count.  In such a small period of time I have learned from some of the biggest and brightest, helping me grow into a stronger, smarter and more enthusiastic person about the world of PR.

As a May 2012 graduate, most peers my age would laugh at the idea of applying for an internship now that we officially have college degrees. It seems silly to be interning after college since we have learned everything we’re supposed to know before entering the “real-world,” right?

For me it was the opposite. Although I interned at two other companies and lived and breathed PR in college, I never felt that I got the full PR experience I had been yearning for. I wanted to learn the “ins and outs” of the PR industry from the best and brightest and find where I belonged in this crazy world. I could have easily started applying to entry-level positions prior to graduation, but I’ll always remember my crisis communications professor telling me that in order to get the best experience you must start at an agency. Having this thought in my head, I knew MWW was where I was meant to start my journey, and five months later here I am.

Since walking into MWW’s doors back in September, this agency and its employees have inspired me to the best PR professional I can be. From media list building and pitching, to client placement reports, brainstorming creative pitch ideas and assisting with events, I am confident that I am learning from the best. Thus far, I have worked on strong consumer brands, including Atkins Nutritionals, Subaru of America, Aetrex, Eventbrite and HomeAdvisor, with employees across the agency. MWW has not only given me the opportunity to learn from my supervisors, but to also collaborate with amazing leaders.

I am proud to have started my post-graduate career as an Associate at one of the most reputable PR agencies in the nation. I have learned more at MWW in these five short months than I could have imagined. I am confident that MWW has given me the tools to succeed in the PR industry, and I look forward to what my career holds in the future.

When I first arrived at 304 Park Avenue, two months ago, I was unsure what to expect. I had no firsthand experience with public relations and little experience with the inner workings of the corporate world. From what friends and family had told me internships consisted of menial work like copying papers and getting coffee. Internships were not a place to pick up meaningful work experience or gain an understanding of the industry.

Well two months later I still don’t know what other internships in the corporate world are like. And my internship certainly involved coffee, although not in the way I expected.  I now know that an internship at MWW is a meaningful experience. This internship provided me with exposure to critical aspects of the corporate communication industry. At MWW we weren’t “just interns”, lowly workers to be bossed around. Instead we were treated as integral members of the team, working together in pursuit of common goals.

From the first companywide meeting, in which associates and senior vice presidents alike crowded together in our conference room to communicate with all of our offices around the country, I felt the contagious enthusiasm that the MWW team felt about its exciting future and growth.  This enthusiasm made my experience more purposeful.

When we presented our intern project to the MWW executives, I felt as if together we had achieved something significant. Many of us had no experience in putting together a pitch at all and we worked together to research, brainstorm, write, design, and present a well-executed pitch in the automated coffee machine market. In a relatively short period of time, we had clearly learned a lot about the industry and honed skills that are important in any business setting. As we presented our project, it became clear to me that our small intern group was an essential part of the MWW team.

Countless songs begin with the words “trials and tribulations.” This never sounded applicable to me until I endeavored to grow my personal brand, Missfits, LLC. When one of my best friends, a fashion student at LIM College, approached me with the idea, I was glad to be sitting. How on earth could I contribute to anything fashion/stylish/trendy as a nursing major? I like to stick to what I know: the functions of the renal system (sorry, too graphic?), covalent bonds and spicy tuna and mango sushi (my mind always diverges back to food).

However, after a long, awkward forty-five second pause I smiled and said “Yeah, let’s do this.” Little did I realize at that point how much of my time and effort would have to go into this business just to get it off the ground. Luckily, my brother has matured some (at the ripe age of 28) and doesn’t hold “IOU’s” over my head because he has helped manage all of the legal elements of beginning a business (he’s a lawyer—which really translates into being the “golden child”). In fact, I guess I really hit the jackpot when he and my ex-lawyer-boyfriend had a legal discussion over dinner that my sister-in-law later informed me would have set me back a pretty penny had I been from another bloodline.

While I’ve gotten an incredible amount of help from my family and friends, I still dedicate all of my free time to keeping the books, ordering inventory from wholesalers, checking in with boutiques that currently sell the merchandise, reaching out to potential sellers and maintaining the website (along with all of our social media outlets). However, despite how much I put in, I’ve gotten even more out. There’s nothing quite like spotting a girl in my local Starbucks sporting the Greenwich Village Collection or a well-known fashion blogger reaching out to do a feature on the jewelry. And although I’ve had countless “trials and tribulations” since the company was legally registered last August, they’ve all contributed to lessons I’m grateful to have learned young and a satisfaction unique from all of my other accomplishments.

Throughout my internship at MWW, I was in constant communication with my fellow interns working on a collaborative project. It was a great team effort—we all brought unique perspectives and experiences to the table to create an engaging and catchy plan for a client’s PR strategy. Overall, it was one of the more enjoyable group project experiences I’ve had. The only thing about it was that I never met my teammates face to face—as they were all working in offices thousands of miles away, I was only ever able to communicate with them via phone and email.

MWW has nine incredibly interconnected offices spread out over seven states spanning coast to coast. Long-distance collaboration is the norm, and it is rare not to hear cross-country calls being conducted here in the Chicago office. Teams work as cohesive units despite the challenges of remoteness. Modern technology makes amazing things possible: not only can one converse across the country using a telephone, but can also have video conferencing, real-time presentations transmitted to offices over the web, and screen sharing for real time collaboration on projects. Easy air travel makes it possible for team members to fly to different offices and different events to conduct business in person. The more time I spent at MWW, the smaller the country seemed to become.

MWW’s interconnected office strategy makes a lot of sense in today’s world. I have experienced firsthand how easy and important it is nowadays to overcome distance. My extended family has never lived in the same city as I have, and recently we have been flying to Colorado to visit my Grandfather. None of my high school friends live near Chicago, where I now live and attend school, but I have regular Skype sessions with all of them to stay connected. This summer, many of my college friends did not stay in Chicago, but I was able to chat with them on the phone, via email, and over Skype. They are now a core of people I can look up if I find myself visiting different cities.

Naturally, it’s not ideal to be far away from people you care about, just like it’s not ideal to be far away from colleagues with whom you’re collaborating. In the modern world, distance isn’t so bad. There are a myriad of ways to overcome it that can enable one to stay incredibly connected, whether that connection is work-related or personal. Furthermore, there can be advantages to distance. Having offices set up across the country enables MWW to better serve clients in regional markets. Having friends who are living in different cities enables me to explore the world and share my friends’ local experiences. It makes the world smaller, and more accessible.

When I stepped into Political Science 436 for the first time last fall, I was not expecting to come out with an internship at a PR agency. After all, the course was “Environmental Politics” and I was already interning in Senator Dianne Feinstein’s campaign office. I expected to learn about climate change, how both political parties approach the issue, and the different policies the government has implemented to slow it. And I did. I ended up thriving in the class due to the fact that I truly cared about the material being taught and started to realize how important sustainability solutions could be for our country in the very near future. At the end of the internship, my professor, Dr. Mark Bernstein, offered me an internship to further my studies. Given the fact that I had recently decided politics was not right for me, I jumped at the opportunity and gladly accepted.

Dr. Bernstein explained that he just started the new Sustainability branch of a PR agency. The plan was to combine his expertise in sustainability with the firm’s expertise in PR to help get exposure for new green technologies and companies. After all, even if your company has the best technology out there, it does not really matter if no one knows about you. I found this blend of PR and sustainability particularly intriguing because I could research real world solutions to the problems we learned about in class and then develop strategies to inform the public about them. And not only would these strategies help improve the environment, but they would also save companies substantial amounts of money in the future.

However, working at MWW has given me much more than experience in sustainability. Although I had no previous PR experience, the entire LA office worked to include me on their work from day one. I was regularly included in brainstorms and worked on RFPs for a number of prospective clients. I have now witnessed PR campaigns built up from the ground and know what it takes to lure new clients. While I did not anticipate working in the PR industry, I am grateful for the opportunity and will leave MWW with a solid understanding of two important, up and coming industries.

Two days before I began my internship at Enso Communications this summer, I got a call from the person that had interviewed me. “You will no longer be interning with Enso Communications. We have been acquired by another company called MWW.” The first thought that came to my mind was “Oh no, there goes my internship for the summer.” As you can probably guess by the fact that I am writing this entry, she then finally told me “But we would like to bring you on with us as an intern.” Awesome.

I didn’t know what to expect, because I have never been in this type of situation before. But looking back, one thing is certain — this was one of the best learning experiences I could possibly ask for. I arrived at the MWW-Los Angeles office two days later, the same day that the other employees from Enso Communications joined MWW. It was my first time meeting everyone in the office; however, it was also the first time everyone else met. It was quite interesting not being the only new face at the office, because that is what I had expected.

Over the past two months, I witnessed the dynamics of the rapidly growing and evolving Los Angeles office. The merge of the two companies brought a lot of excitement and created a wonderful chemistry. I am privileged to have interned at such a vital period of time for the MWW-LA office.

The most valuable part about interning for MWW for me is the opportunity to learn and engage with so many different types of businesses and organizations. I didn’t expect to learn so much about kiosk machines, tobacco prevention programs, and engagement rings. I have spent my time at MWW learning to matter more. Looking forward, who knows what will happen next?

Ian Chen, Intern