Interning at The Davey Tree Expert Company

by Helen Steward

My internship at The Davey Tree Expert Company this semester has been one of the most valuable experiences at Kent State thus far. I was extremely nervous on my first day at Davey, but I quickly came to realize that I had been well prepared through my academic courses and prior work experiences.

My responsibilities at Davey varied daily, and that was part of what made the experience so worthwhile and enjoyable. Some of the tasks that were solely my responsibility were keeping up the Davey.com newsroom, putting all clips into the Davey portal, drafting any and all press releases and finding where and who to send the releases to. Some of my other responsibilities included calling reporters, attending meetings for sponsorships, calling other Davey offices for information, writing stories for newsletters, writing for an internal PR update, contributing my ideas and skills to two different campaigns and researching various things.

One of my favorite things from my internship experience was having such a knowledgeable and caring boss, who was really a mentor to me as well. Jen was always open to any new ideas I could bring to the table and always gave me feedback on my work so that I always knew where I stood. The biggest lesson I learned from being at Davey is that communication is crucial. Whether it is with a boss or a reporter, if you are unsure of what someone is telling you, it is crucial that you get clarification in order to ensure everything is being done correctly.

The best advice I could give to future student interns is to be willing to try everything, and always ask your boss if there is anything you can help he or she with to lighten their load. This is your chance to learn and try anything and everything you can while you are still a student. Be the hardest working person in the office, and the most diverse and your internship will leave you with an invaluable experience.

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