UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Three communications students learned valuable career and life skills during their internships with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) at Penn State.
Anna Sulecki, a recent graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in public relations, applied for the MatSE internship because she was interested in STEM-related marketing.
“I have grown a lot as a communicator during my time at MatSE due to its uplifting environment,” said Sulecki.
Sulecki enjoyed being able to expand her writing portfolio and learn more about social media management during her internship.
“Learning how to write different types of content has been really beneficial, from writing social media posts to a press release about a Team USA student-athlete in MatSE, was such an amazing opportunity I wouldn’t have had anywhere else,” Sulecki said. “MatSE gave me the confidence and experience I need in order to be a successful public relations professional after graduation.”
Nate Reinhold majored in advertising and graduated in May with his bachelor of arts degree. He applied for the MatSE internship to gain marketing experience at a higher level and be able to grow his professional portfolio.
“MatSE has been a great and supportive environment to expand my skill set,” said Reinhold. “As an intern, you don’t always feel like you contribute much, but in MatSE that has never been the case.”
He was given creative freedom that allowed him to explore different types of motion graphics, logo creation and video editing styles. Reinhold’s biggest take away from his time at MatSE is that communication and collaboration are essential to work in a creative environment, skills he plans to use in his future advertising career.
Lauren Wellar, a Penn State World Campus digital multimedia design major, is a current intern. She applied for the MatSE internship because she wanted to learn more about creating and designing professional websites. Wellar said she loves working at MatSE due to its encouraging environment.
“From my experience in MatSE, I am going to remember the people I have worked with and met, the new abilities of creating and managing websites for the department and researchers, as well as the sense of pride that was instilled in me for giving my best while working here,” said Wellar.
During their internships, each intern also learned a little something about materials science and engineering from attending events, conducting interviews, and creating content for the department. All three interns said they appreciated the department and its environment that allowed them to grow not only as professional communicators but also personally, and they would not change a thing about their time in MatSE.