Sezim Altynbek kyzy, JMC-114, Opportunities in Public Relations

September 26, 2016

  Sezim Altynbek kyzy, a junior in the Journalism and Mass Communications department (JMC) at AUCA, told us about her work in AUCA TV, internship in Public Relations (PR) office at AUCA, and Global UGRAD Program.

«If I were to write a narrative essay about how I spent my past summer, it would have to be more than ten pages. As the result of a wonderful internship, this summer has been one of the best, brightest, and most fruitful summers I have ever had; I had so many exciting experiences and met so many great people, and I know I will always be able to use this knowledge in the future.

 As a junior in JMC department, I knew that "Public relations” is a mutually beneficial bridge of communication between different communities and organizations. PR is a field for extremely creative people, always in search of new ideas.

 After I joined AUCA TV, I wanted my first internship to be in AUCA’s PR Office, where I could apply the skills I learned with AUCA TV and from being in JMC. As an intern, I had two weeks to learn about work in the PR Office, which helped me a lot during my 2-month internship. I learned to write professional articles and press releases, to take and edit high quality photographs, to publish articles online on AUCA’s official website and other social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…), and to organize press conferences and meetings.

 I really enjoyed working in PR because it’s a place where people are always busy with something new and creative. The most rewarding aspect of my internship in AUCA’s PR office was working on a professional team with high-quality editorial oversight.

 PR is not just about writing and publishing essays—a major part of PR is organizing and conducting events. In fact, almost every event held at AUCA is organized, at least in part, by the PR office. In June and July alone, AUCA hosted more than 20 events, all of which were organized with the help of the PR office. These events included big productions like the “Asia Leadership Conference,” where Harvard Kennedy School alumni came to teach at AUCA; “The Economics of Inequality,” a lecture by Nobel Laureate Sir James Mirrlees’; AUCA’s 2016 Commencement; AUCA’s 20th Graduation Ceremony; “Better Understanding for a Better World;” The annual Intercultural, Interfaith and Leadership Conferences for Young Professionals, organized by Civilizations Exchange & Cooperation Foundation (CECF); Enactus’s 20th Anniversary National Competition; the “Summer Leadership Camp” for High School students organized by Peace Corps Volunteers; and the “Summer Leadership and Entrepreneurship Camp” organized by Enactus.

 During those events, I was responsible for enlisting the help of and managing volunteers. In total, over 50 volunteers were involved in these events. Some days, you could get into work at 9 A.M. and not be able to leave until 10 P.M. Working in PR takes lots of energy, so only people with devoted can handle this profession.

 As a side note, during my internship with the PR Office, I received a long-awaited answer from the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (also known as the Global UGRAD Program) about a scholarship to study in the US. As the answer was positive(!) I will be spending this academic year at Maryville College, a private Liberal Arts College in Maryville, Tennessee, United States. Now I can share my excitement with my colleagues from the PR office and AUCA TV.

Whenever I think about my internship in the PR Office, it takes me to a time full of positive moments. I would like to thank my colleagues, who have become like family: Dina Orozbaeva, Nurzhana Kadyrkulova, Olga Shen, Emil Akhmatbekov, Margarita Lazutkina, Marcos Cisneros, Bakhrom Tursunov, Adilet Dubaev, Sulaiman Kuluev, Samat Durusbekov, Ruiz Ruzimatov and all the other members of the PR team».

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