By Isabella Lozano ’21
This summer, I interned for the Public Communications team of Union County Government. I worked in Monroe, North Carolina, where the County Government offices are located. The Public Communications team works to convey important information to Union County’s employees as well as its 222,000 residents. The team is constantly working to enable community success and improve people’s lives in the county.
My interest in communications began with my classes at Davidson College, and this internship solidified my passion for this field. This experience in Public Communications allowed me to gain valuable experience with internal and external communications. This summer allowed me to further define my career goals and desire to play a role in bridging the gap between an organization and the people, just as Union County’s Public Communications team does.
I received the Falconi Family Internship Grant, which made this summer experience possible. With this grant, I was able to cover my living expenses and travel expenses since I was commuting to Monroe every day for work. Thank you to the Career Center and Falconi family for making this possible!
As an intern for the Public Communications team, I helped create, design, and execute marketing and communications plans to reach the employees of Union County Government and residents of the County. Some of my projects included researching best practices for social media, writing articles for the Union County website, and developing content for Union County’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I was also responsible for developing a Hurricane Season Communications Plan for the team to use during hurricane season. This communications plan included a timeline of key messages to relay to the residents and recommendations for the County website to make hurricane resources more accessible.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this summer was an especially interesting time to intern for a county government. I helped contribute to the team’s ongoing communications surrounding COVID-19. Some of the messages we focused on were where to go for testing in Union County, tips on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and where to go if you need resources. These messages were amplified on various platforms, including email blasts, the Union County website, social media, billboards, and radio ads. I was responsible for drafting some of these social media posts as well as radio ads. This project showed me the importance of clear and transparent messages, especially when communicating a prevalent issue such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
During my internship, I had the opportunity to meet with the directors of different Union County Government departments. I learned the details of their position and the role each department plays in Union County. I also gained insight into their unique career paths and how they ended up in their position. This was one of my favorite parts of the internship because I was able to learn more about Union County Government while also receiving career advice.
Overall, this was an awesome summer experience, and I am grateful for my time with Union County’s Public Communications team. I gained valuable experience and skills working in communications that I will be able to translate into my future career. I was able to work alongside great people who are experts in their respective fields. This internship was an experience I won’t forget!
