Our winter/spring 2025 interns, Aunna Beranek and Joel Reyes, reflect on their first few weeks with Hawthorne Strategy Group.
From Aunna Beranek:
My first day at Hawthorne Strategy Group actually started months before I landed the internship. The story begins over a year ago at a Columbia College Chicago career fair, where I first met a few members of the Hawthorne team. Right away, I knew that there was something special about this company.
Like the dozens of other college students in need of jobs shuffling around the event space, I was nervous to make a good impression. I approached each table with my chin up and shoulders back, trying to project the most qualified version of myself. I delivered practiced elevator pitches and handed out printed resumes from a manilla folder. In that room full of recruiters, I definitely felt the pressure to perform. However, this pressure immediately disappeared when I approached the Hawthorne table. Without even realizing it, I had fallen into natural conversation with two incredibly skilled—yet human—PR professionals who made me feel like a person instead of a candidate on the chopping block.
Fast forward a year, and I was offered the same internship I applied for last year. (If that isn’t a lesson for my future self on never giving up, I don’t know what is.) Then I was invited to attend the company holiday party to meet the full team before my internship officially started in January. As an incoming intern, I was nervous to meet my future employers for the first time in such a casual setting—but I also recognized their invitation for what it was: an open door. This was a team that cared about me as a person, not just an employee. Even before my first day at Hawthorne, I was fully embraced by the team.
Now over a month into my internship, I can say that nothing has changed. In the last few weeks, I’ve joined several client teams, including Hope Ignites, a nonprofit that helps young people from underserved communities build brighter futures. My role in this team isn’t your average intern-grabbing-coffee experience: I’m brought into the circle to develop large-scale communication plans and trusted to create media pitches that will amplify the incredible work our client is doing in cities across the country. To be integrated fully into this team and feel like my voice is both heard and valued from my very first day at Hawthorne is nothing short of empowering.
I’ve been welcomed into a team that works together with a comfort that goes beyond coworkers. Though it may sound cheesy, Hawthorne really is a family.
From Joel Reyes:
Approaching the end of my final classes last October, I knew confidently that I wanted to keep putting myself in a position of continuous learning as I waited for my proper graduation this June. Maybe part of it was experiencing a preemptive post-college life crisis, or simply just not being able to stay still for more than a day. I knew I wanted to find something that would allow me to pop the marketing and economics bubble in which I’ve stayed comfortable these past few years.
Curious about what was out there, I saw an immediate posting that caught my eye stating, “Now Hiring: Spring/Winter Public Relations Intern,” posted only three hours ago by Hawthorne Strategy Group. Public relations? I had some experience here and there, but it had never been in my radar. I immediately set up time with someone on the team to learn more about the role. I figured I had nothing to lose, right?
Suddenly, as I was shifting through multiple interviews amongst the team, I found myself at the end of November, still anxiously awaiting the results, when I got an email stating that one of their clients needed additional support and asking if I’d be willing to provide it. Immediately, I said yes, still not knowing if I’d be interning for them. After my onboarding and first meeting for this one-off project, I felt confident that this was exactly what I needed. The fast pace of client work. Diving headfirst researching different industries. The tight-knit team that can switch from witty banter to articulate insights instantly. This was exactly the atmosphere I wanted to be in.
Fast forward a few months later, reflecting on these experiences and my first few weeks here, getting the offer in December, I am beyond grateful. Being able to quickly integrate into over six accounts has kept the days full, exciting, and, most importantly, given me the chance for total immersion into public relations. A couple of highlights include working with the Chicago Dental Society to work on the Midwinter Meeting, one of the largest gatherings of dental professionals in the world. From creating social media content to building media lists to later helping with on-site filming at the end of this month, the wide variety of tasks have provided several opportunities to build new skills. As a bonus, with all of my clients, I feel like I can make a direct impact in one of the best cities in the world.
With a month done, I know there is still so much learning and work to do. However, feeling emboldened by the team makes me confident I will only get better with time!
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