Shirin Azmi

Journal #3

At the end of my internship, I was sad to leave. I had such an amazing time

working at BrandLinkDC and I have acquired and strengthen my communications skills.

I bonded closely with many employees and will definitely keep in regular contact with

them. I truly enjoyed the remainder of my internship the most because I became close

with the principals of the company, in particular Barbara Martin (we called her Barb in

the office).

As a graduating senior, I knew that I needed to begin applying for jobs, exploring

my contacts and act strategically with my resources. Unfortunately, my office was not

hiring, but they were extremely willing to help pass around my resume. I went out one

afternoon with Barb to learn more about her journey as a PR professional and receive any

advice for how I should tackle my job search. Her story was truly inspiring and extremely

odd at the same time. She explained how she transferred from job to job and then began

to realize that she worked well with people and public relations. She began taking up side

PR jobs to gain connections and finally had enough support to begin her own practice.

The story was extremely reassuring because I am noticing that it has become extremely

difficult to receive my dream job.

During the spring, we hosted more outdoor events, which were more large-scaled

and fun to plan. On May 10th, for our client The Yards, a new apartment complex by the

Anacostia Riverfront, we hosted an outdoor circus-festival. In order to entice locals or

other publics to come experience The Yards, and encourage them to look into the

properties, the event planner decided to take advantage of the waterfront and the nice

weather to have an outdoor event. The event was sponsored by neighboring food

establishments and local D.C. bands performed at the event. In addition to the food and

concert, an array of circus performers were staged around the venue. Performers included

a fortuneteller, magician, fire breather, sword-swallower and many others. Additionally,

there was a face painter and an artist creating balloon animals. The event was unlike other

because it was held outside; therefore the weather was a serious issue. It was severely

raining two hours before the festival began, which caused major concern for the success

of the event. The event planner continuously checked the weather and after discussing the

issue with the client, they decided that the event would go on as planned. Thankfully, the

sky began to clear up shortly after and the weather was beautiful. The event was an

overall success and the client was extremely pleased.

As I mentioned earlier, I was extremely sad to leave the office. I made great

relationships with all of the individuals there and I know it is not the last time that I will

work or speak with them. After this chapter of my work experience closes, I am confident

that my gained experienced has opened the door for new and exciting job opportunities.