Internship Insider: Chania Crawford

In the summer of 2024, I had the pleasure of interning at Vitamix Corporation in Olmsted Falls, Ohio.

I had an amazing experience learning about the company and corporate public relations. This internship helped me figure out that I want to go into Agency PR so I can work with different clients and agencies. I hope to use this experience to guide me in my job search after graduation.

I previously thought I wanted to go into corporate public relations, but I really enjoyed the work I did with Vitamix’s partnering agency, Marcus Thomas, so I am looking forward to getting agency experience. 

While at Vitamix, I worked on a variety of tasks, ranging from writing press releases to conducting competitive media audits to assess our performance in comparison to our competitors.

During my first full week, I was tasked with writing a press release to coincide with a Mother's Day event the company had held prior to my working with the company. The press release was on the results of a maternal wellness survey Vitamix conducted to find out what the barriers are for mothers to achieve whole food nutrition and wellness in their lives. We found that by utilizing small kitchen appliances like blenders, mothers can save time in the kitchen and focus more on their health and not just their families.

This was the first time I ever wrote in the brand voice, and I really enjoyed it. The press release has had the highest syndications and pick-ups ever since partnering with Marcus Thomas in 2020. I was extremely proud of myself and was glad I got to do that for the company. I also got the chance to do a couple of creative projects that utilized my creative and design skills, which I really enjoyed.

Additionally, I got to practice corporate social responsibility, as well as get involved in DEI efforts at the company. We took an intern field trip to the Rid-All Green Partnership, an urban farm in downtown Cleveland, where we got to spend a day giving back to the community by doing yard work around the farm. 

Overall, I had an amazing experience interning at Vitamix and really felt that I got to put the skills I learned at Kent State to work in the real world, which was rewarding.

I encourage all young Public Relations students to get an internship in a Public Relations sector they want to go into and also a sector they do not want to go into to diversify their public relations skills pre-graduation. This internship showed me that corporate public relations is an industry I am good at and should consider pursuing a career in.

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