So Many Engaging Aspects in Public Affairs

By Dean’s Intern Rushad Thomas at Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is a fantastic place to work. Not only do they have free cereal, a gym in the basement, and popsicles in the fridge, but also they don’t consign their interns purely to grunt work. At Weber I have had the opportunity to put so many of the things I’m learning at AU into action in a professional environment.

One thing that sticks out for me is a press note I wrote a few weeks ago. An unscrupulous scammer used the name of one of Weber’s clients to dupe Louisiana consumers into sharing private information and paying fraudulent fees. The press note was part of a release we penned to share with Louisiana media outlets so that they could warn people about the scam. It was pretty remarkable seeing something I contributed to ending up on the websites of Louisiana media outlets.

I’ve also been heavily involved with planning for National U.S. Aircraft Carrier Month. Aircraft Carrier Month honors the contributions of naval aircraft carriers to our national security. I composed a pitch letter to naval museums throughout the country that has resulted in a number of exciting partnerships for the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition, the Weber client that sponsors Aircraft Carrier Month.

That’s just a small sample of the vast array of public affairs work Weber does. One of the most engaging aspects of working for Weber is the diversity of its clientele and capabilities. The firm has in-house creative, digital, social impact, health care, research, and strategic planning teams. Everyone works across teams to provide superior service to clients.

And there’s no shortage of ways for ambitious interns to plug right in!