Name: Caroline Harty
Major: Public relations major with new media certificate
Hometown: Lake Oconee, GA
Campus Involvement: VP of Programming for UGA Ad Club (2018-2019) / Educational Programming Chair for UGA Ad Club (2017-2019) / Talking Dog- Fetch Research team (2017-2018) / ABAC (Atlanta Broadcasting Advertising Club) Mentorship Program (2017-2019)
Company and Position This Summer: Service Design and User Experience intern for Cox Communications
Where do you see yourself in 10 years / What’s your dream job?
In 10 years there are two career paths I would LOVE to have achieved. My first ideal career/dream job in 10 years is an advertising agency and eventually working client-side advertising. I would love to go straight from UGA to an advertising agency and work for a few years, gaining as much experience as possible before going to work client side instead of at an agency. My other goal is doing corporate internal/external PR for a large company. I think there are aspects of both paths that appeal to me, the advertising agency/client side advertising would allow me to use more creativity and the PR side would allow me to hone the skills I’ve used at Grady as well as get to work for a corporate company.
What skills did Grady College teach you that you were able to apply to this position this past summer?
I learned amazing communication skills through Grady, and I think that is one of the most important skills to have going into any internship/job. Being able to communicate effectively this summer made my job and all of my coworker’s jobs so much easier, and our days more efficient. Group problem solving/working in a group setting is another skill that Grady taught me that I was able to implement every day this summer working at Cox Communications. Throughout all of my AdPR classes, we have had countless group projects and I found those to be invaluable. Being able to work with a group effectively is an amazing skill that I am so happy to have learned early on in my Grady classes.
What advice do you have for students wanting to work or intern at this company or in this kind of position?
My biggest advice is to involved in something outside of your classes. All of the classes I’ve taken at Grady have been incredible, and I have learned so much through each of them. The combination of Grady classes with AdClub/ Talking Dog/ ABAC has opened up SO many doors. I was involved with AdClub and Talking Dog for two years, and the combination of the knowledge gained in the classroom with the professional experience and exposure of AdClub along with real, legitimate deliverables in Talking Dog cannot be matched and made me a unique applicant because of the diverse experience Grady could give me.
What Grady classes best prepared you for your position this summer, and how so?
APDR Management helped me greatly with this internship because we learned a lot about large companies and what corporate life was like when dealing with internal and external communication. Journalism 3010 also helped me prepare for this summer because I was confident in my writing skills because of what I learned in that class Sophomore year. I believe that being a strong writer will positively serve you no matter what professional career you pursue. UGA AdClub also prepared me for this position because over the years I have been exposed to professional settings and gained professional experience through AdClub shadow days, agency tours, and networking events.
What skills did your position this summer teach you that you will apply to your career after UGA?
This summer I was exposed to corporate life and what a career would be like at a huge company. I wasn’t treated like an intern; I was invited to all meetings, phone calls, and given legitimate work to do every day. I think this will help me in the future with my career because my experience gained was genuine and I was able to learn the responsibility necessary to be successful.
UGA’s AdPR Department loves hearing from successful students like Caroline! Keep up the good work!
