Emily Sclafani: Reflecting on a Summer Internship

Purdue University rising senior Emily Sclafani joined Matchbook as a Communications intern this summer, before going back to complete her major in public relations and strategic communication. At Purdue, Emily is a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America, public relations officer for the Purdue Italian Club, and is in Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Dance is one of her passions, and she’s a member of the dance company Higher Ground at Purdue. With Matchbook, Emily learned more about public relations strategy and technique as they function in the real world, as well as translating her skill sets and knowledge to create meaningful work for clients that have a purpose.

An intern’s greatest fear is that they will spend their summer making coffee trips and doing busy work. At Matchbook, that is not the case. Right from the start, we were given real, hands-on work for clients that challenged us to think creatively. This continued throughout the summer with the Matchbook team showing us how to function in the fast-paced agency world.

“This summer, I have been challenged, encouraged, supported, and more. This internship has made me more confident in my abilities through hands-on work, collaborative support and feedback to my ideas, and allowed me to accomplish so much in just a few short months. Matchbook changed how I view my skill set,” Justin Fields, Strategy Intern said.

Something unique about Matchbook’s internship program is that not only do we do work on the accounts for the agency’s clients, but also manage our own client accounts. Throughout the summer our class had two intern-specific accounts, which we managed completely. These clients were Ovar’Coming Together, an ovarian cancer awareness nonprofit, and Wabash Brewing Company, a local craft brewery. Our team worked together to communicate with and effectively produce content to meet each clients’ specific needs. The agency trusted that we were capable and responsible enough to manage our own clients but were still there to guide us when needed.

Getting to own agency responsibilities at this level allow our intern class to interact on a professional level. Through this, we came together and formed friendships. Matchbook’s culture is strong and family-like, and as interns we were truly able to experience and embody this during the summer. “I probably annoy my friends by always bragging about how cool my job is, said Design Intern Marissa Glantz. “I look forward to coming in to work to see my supervisors and colleagues. The people here are great and the work is fun! Each day is a little different, and it’s cool to see what new projects I will be working on and watching my skills improve so quickly.”

Matchbook continuously offered interns a variety of opportunities to expand our skill sets and help us grow as young professionals. “One of my favorite parts of interning at Matchbook was the amount of opportunities presented, said Emily Sclafani, Communications Intern. “In just a summer, I attended PRSA events, went behind the scenes of a news segment at RTV6, helped with a client interview on CBS4/Fox59, went to various Indiana INTERNnet events, facilitated a photo shoot at a brewery, led client meetings, and more.” By allowing us to interact with clients, we were able to see how our work was effectively creating an impact.

Each intern was stationed in a different department of the agency dependent on their area of study and was mentored by a director throughout the summer. Our mentors taught us the ins-and-outs of each specific field, offered constructive feedback, and pushed us to succeed. Natalie Rumreich, Business Development Intern said: “My supervisor has been very patient and helpful in teaching me to grow not only as a better business professional, but also a better individual. I’ve learned a lot about the business world, work environment, and network building.” Our internship coordinator held check in meetings each week, empowering us to voice our thoughts and motivating us to excel. We could not have accomplished all we did this summer without the guidance of our mentors.

Finding the right internship can be tricky. Interning at Matchbook let us know we made the right choice in growing our career through valuable work experience that made a difference for clients. Thank you, Matchbook, for teaching us the importance of marketing with a purpose.