Abby Pyer

PR & Strategic Communication

WLFI Channel 18

How has your internship helped build skills and clarify your career goals?

My internship has helped reassure me that I have chosen the right major to compliment my strengths. It has built my communication skills immensely. This internship has given me the ability to adapt my communication skills to any situation/person.            

How do you apply your Liberal Arts skills in your internship?

I apply my Liberal Arts skills in my internship by thinking outside the box during interviews. Public Relations focuses on relationships and relationships are an integral part of every industry.      

Please answer the following questions as they relate to you and your internship experience.

Describe your typical day as an intern. 

My typical day as an intern starts by showing up for the morning 9:30 meeting in which all the reporters are assigned their stories they will be working on that day. I then get to chose which one interest me the most and go out with that reporter for the day. Our day typically consists of driving somewhere to meet our subject for an interview and talking with them for quite sometime until we get all of our questions answered and desired footage taken. We then go back to the news station and spend the remainder of the day cutting and editing the story to have it ready to air on tv for the 5:00 and 6:00 news show. 

What was the most challenging aspect of your internship?

The most challenging aspect of this internship was keeping myself entertain during some of the slower news days. There is not always a hard hitting story every day and sometimes you just have to report on the more dull topics. 

What was the most exciting thing about your role?

The most exciting thing about my roll was getting to meet so many fascinating people that I would normally not get the opportunity to meet. For example, this summer I've gotten to meet both mayors of Lafayette and West Lafayette.

What surprised you most about your internship?

 I was most surprised about the ability to really tailor this internship to my interests. I loved having the option to choose which story I wanted to be assigned to each day.

Describe the most meaningful experience you had as an intern.

So far, the most meaningful experience I've had as an intern was getting to bond with a woman whose husband had been murdered. We went to interview her about the situation and it was a very emotional interaction. By the end of the time with her, we had spent almost two hours talking and getting to know each other and I was able to make her smile and laugh which felt very good.