The last six months have been full of excitement and new opportunities while serving as the Public Relations & Marketing Intern at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. As the Zoo hosted events, set records and welcomed adorable new animals, I was there to help the team!
Interning for the Zoo has offered me unique experiences and allowed me to learn so much about my field of interest. While working in the PR & Marketing office, I gained valuable, real-world experience in writing news releases, media alerts and having hands-on experiences with contacting local, regional and national media outlets. I was also able to assist in managing the Zoo’s multiple social media accounts. (Those 5,000 baby giraffe names posted on Facebook didn’t sort themselves!) Another perk was that my internship did not always have me at a desk. When media personnel came to cover stories at the zoo, I was often invited to join on the behind-the-scene interviews. This led to several up-close animal encounters. And, allowed me to have some very special experiences of my own. Within my very first week, I was able to handle some of the baby pancake tortoises and my interactions with animals didn’t stop there! In the time I have been at the zoo, I have been up-close with elephants, cougars, sea lions, baby flamingos, and a baby penguin (by smart). In addition, I had office visits from Savanna, the cheetah cub! From week to week, I never knew who or what I would get to interact with.
Looking back on my experience, I was extremely fortunate to have been chosen for this internship. Not only was I able to improve my skills under a PR professional, but I was given insight into what I want to pursue after college. My time at the Zoo has been a positive experience and one that I will always remember.