INTERN
Aunna Beranek
Aunna is a strategic communicator and passionate creative pursuing a career in storytelling. She is in her last semester of her master's degree in Strategic Communication at Columbia College Chicago after earning her B.A. in English from Columbia in 2024.
At Hawthorne, Aunna connects her clients with the right audiences to share powerful stories that drive home each organization’s message. Her passion for learning and creative instinct help her develop effective strategies to support clients.
Before coming to Hawthorne, Aunna wrote consumer-focused freelance articles for half a dozen clients in the skincare and beauty sector. Supporting an agency focused on driving search engine results and optimizing content for the digital landscape, Aunna learned to blend SEO with the humanistic side of storytelling to create messages that not only reach consumers but connect with them.
Aunna is also proud to be a published creative writer. Both her fiction and poetry have been featured in undergraduate literary magazines published nationally. Her storytelling background fuels her creative communication today.
Outside of work, Aunna enjoys reading “romantasy” books, planning elaborate dinner parties for her friends, and learning how to make the perfect cup of matcha at home.
Education: Columbia College Chicago, BA in English; MA in Strategic Communication (Spring 2025)
Currently reading: “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros
Currently listening to: “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan
Currently watching: The Greta Gerwig version of “Little Women”
Coffee order: Hazelnut shaken espresso with almond milk
One fact about Aunna that will surprise you: She never learned how to ride a bike