It’s hard to sum up an experience that was so intense and different. However, I feel it is my obligation to at least share this wonderful and interesting internship experience that I describe as “a very big eye opener in my life”. My internship was amazing and a bit challenging, I went through a rigorous training process, and if any chance comes I would have no problem of doing it again.
As a student of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University, my desire is to become one of the professional Public Relations Officers in the country. Therefore in the due course of chasing for an internship, I was looking for a place that would give me a golden opportunity of being exposed to various public relations activities and programmes. My priority was Makerere University Public Relations Office and I wish to state that joining the Mak Public Relations Office for internship training was the wisest decision I have ever made!
Carrying out my internship at Mak Public Relations Office and being mentored by Ms Ritah Namisango – Mak Senior Public Relations Officer, was the greatest opportunity I had in 2014. My internship was really rewarding. I was assessed and I emerged the best intern 2014 in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. I am pleased to share my conviction that the field of Public Relations and Communications is the ultimate one for me. I will remain eternally grateful to Ms Ritah Namisango for the mentorship that I received.
Prior to getting this opportunity, my hands-on experience in the field of public relations and communication was very limited in scope. I admired the field of public relations and communication, was equipped with theoretical knowledge, but I needed to get a hands-on experience.
The internship training enabled me put to test what I had studied and what I could do if I were the Public Relations Officer. At first, it was a bit challenging because Public relations as a field involves a great component of multi-tasking, for example having deadlines to meet at the same time attending to people coming for queries with a smile, maintaining the constant flow of information and also providing current information to the public is so crucial. However, I thank God that I had the best supervisors, both the Host, Ms. Ritah Namisango and the Academic, Mrs. Harriet Ssebaana. They guided me and taught me how to handle such situations.
The experience I went through helped me to realize that a university student undergoes three stages of development in his process of education in order to attain his or her goal of being at campus. These three stages include; the preparation stage, the pretesting stage and the take action stage.
The preparation stage occurs in class with students being provided with notes about a certain topic; the preparation stage is basically theoretical compared to the second stage which is the pretesting stage. The pretesting stage is the internship period. It exposes students to the physical outlook of their dream career, at this stage you experience every single doze of the job you always admired. This helps students put the theory acquired into practice as they prepare for the third stage that is the take action. At this level, I consider a student to have attained her goal that is the dream career and is able to show to the world how professional she or he is in a specified field. During my internship (the pretesting stage), I tasted the interesting field of Public Relations and Communication. I was exposed to writing for communication, issues management, photography, media relations and online management. This was followed by sessions aimed at imparting in me professional communication skills to respond to different standards and requirements. I also acquired skills in public speaking, organization skills and events management.
My exposure to the aforementioned areas enabled me to improve my writing skills, verbal communication, analytical and creative skills.
I enjoyed the written contributions to the Makerere University Website (www.mak.ac.ug), which entailed shifting from all angles of news; science, technology, education, sports, social and political life. I packaged information which entailed honing in on and expanding the institutions core functions. Observing the Makerere Public Relations Office’s approach to work, I learnt and I will always remember that many complicated tasks become easier when you work together as a team.
My experience at the Makerere University Public Relations Office has prepared me for a bright future. The internship experience taught me to have a passion in whatever I do. I now understand the importance of company’s culture and making sure that my values align with the company’s is important. This internship experience also increased my understanding, professionalism and excitement for work after graduation. I advise fellow students ready for internship, to go for the challenging new experience that will help them grow. However, it should be in their line of interest. I appeal to you to give it your best because internship greatly contributes to your future. While on internship training, always remember that the reputation you leave behind markets your image and identity.
seek the truth and the only truth 