By Kendra Young, Intern
Upon entering my college career, I thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life. My surgical aspirations mainly stemmed from too many hours of Grey’s Anatomy and a very good high school biology teacher. I quickly learned that it would involve a lot of chemistry (not my forte) and learning how to get over an irrational fear of blood. Safe to say, the odds were not in my favor.
From there, I started diving through other majors, most of them with a math and analytical bedrock. The constant throughout that journey was that I wanted to work in the interest of people. When I found Public Relations (PR), I knew it was the place for me. It was the perfect combination of everything I had been hunting for in my previous endeavors: strategy, creativity and people.
As I worked through my classes and internships, my love for this industry only grew. What I thought was going to be black-and-white research wove into a story I could build. This aspect of PR did, and frankly still does, frighten me. Writing has always been my biggest insecurity. I think it goes back to a childhood spent reading stories and scripts my mom wrote. It was her world and she excelled in it, whatever I did would lack in comparison. However, writing for PR reopened the door for me. Since it’s built off strategic communication and company values, it takes some of the edge off. While that insecurity still lingers, it’s just as easily one of my favorite parts of this job. Telling stories is the heart of all great PR campaigns.
With my graduation looming, I knew it was time to start the ever-elusive job hunt, made only more daunting by the global pandemic. As I started investigating what industries and companies I was interested in, I found myself drawn to an industry I had not anticipated: technology. My previous knowledge in tech came from half-listened to conversations between my grandpa and stepbrother, both of whom are computer science engineers. However, as I started to research different clients on my own, I realized that not only are these technologies involved in every aspect of our lives, but they also have the opportunity to create meaningful change. What more could I ask for in a career?
In the short time I’ve been with The Hoffman Agency, I’ve been able to learn so much more about how crucial our client work is. These stories are ones that don’t always get told and often fall into the background; however, they’re the ones that have built our society. I want to be a part of the team that tells these stories, and that’s what I hope to learn in the oncoming weeks.
While my journey into this industry may not have been the normal path, and certainly filled with a lot more math, it’s taught me how much I love being here.
