Linda Gammal, who is majoring in communication with a concentration in public relations and minoring in marketing, was named to Career Service’s February Intern of the Month. Gammal had the opportunity to intern at Push the Envelope PR, a Public relations firm in Freehold, NJ, where she developed skills in media monitoring, marketing, advertising, designing competitor audits, and much more.
Although she switched majors for a while, she found her passion within the field consumer business and marketing. She said, “I’ve always been fascinated by consumer behavior, so I hope to be exposed to all different types of fields such as marketing, advertising, social commerce, branding, PR, and more.” Gammal added that she envisions owning her own business in the future.
Gammal was able to land this internship thanks to her attendance to Monmouth’s virtual internship fair. She said that she made a list of the companies that interested her, spoke to a hiring manager from Push the Envelope PR, sent over her resume, and got hired at a later time. Gammal said that she enjoyed the experience overall, as it broadened her understanding and knowledge of the field she wants to eventually make a career out of.
She attributes her success to the advice provided to her by the Career Development office. She took advantage of the resources available right from the start of her college career, and booked an appointment to fix her resume.
“Because I prioritized meeting with career services, I received fantastic advice and guidance on resume building, interview prep, LinkedIn, and overall a mentor to speak with. It’s essential to use the resources around you, and I’m happy that I did,” said Gammal.
Some of her responsibilities included writing pitches for clients, researching and gathering editor contacts, completing monthly reports, creating media clippings, monitoring media, designing competitor audits, and much more.
Gammal said, “Through this internship, I got a glimpse into a day in the life of a PR firm. It was fascinating to learn about new products from each brand and to come up with ways to place them in the media.”
Gammal was surprised that she was the month’s intern, as she felt it was exciting to be seen all over Monmouth’s social media sites. However, she also felt grateful because her peers around recognize her hard work, effort, and initiative.
Jeff Mass, Director of Employer Engagement, recommends that the first step to land a successful internship is identifying what position and industry interests students the most. Mass said, “Speak with the Career Development Department members —they’ll tell you everything there is to know about internship opportunities in your area. We have close to 10K jobs currently on Handshake.”
Aaron Furgason, Chair and Associate professor for the Department of Communication, said that obtaining an internship offers two key opportunities for students. Furgason said, “An internship is an opportunity for students unsure of their career aspirations the ability to ‘test drive’ a possible future career.”
Furgason continued, “Students that have already made up their mind on their career field of choice have an opportunity at an internship to experience the professional area, network, and hopefully secure employment upon graduation from Monmouth University.”
Gammal encourages students to build up their LinkedIn portfolios and to take advantage of Monmouth’s resources. She said, “Without Monmouth and its connections to many local employers, I wouldn’t have even known about Push the Envelope PR.”
