Classroom to Careers: Internship Spotlight – Elyse Ogbourne
Author: tbrow
Name: Elyse Ogbourne
Major: Public Relations
Year: Freshman
Internship Title: USA Today Network Event Coordinator for RAGBRAI
Going to the career fair can be a daunting task, especially as a freshman. Elyse Ogbourne didn’t let the nerves deter her from taking a leap and attending the fall career fairs.
Elyse, a freshman majoring in Public Relations, landed an internship with RAGBRAI after attending the Jump-Start Internship and Networking Fair sponsored by the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communications in the fall of 2018. Elyse had never been to a career fair, but that didn’t stop her. She used some of her past experiences to help her prepare for conversations with employers.
“During high school, I was a fundraiser for a robotics team and developed relationships with several local businesses. When I was preparing for the career fair, I adapted how I talked to potential sponsors to how I talked to employers at the career fairs.”
Elyse’s preparation helped her become more confident and comfortable talking to employers.
“My dad encouraged me to go to the career fair. I wasn’t planning to apply for an internship, but I thought that going to the career fair would be less intimidating later on if I’d already experienced it without as much pressure.”
The work didn’t stop after the career fair. The internship application didn’t open for another month, so Elyse took that time to come into the LAS Career Services office to polish up her resume and create a cover letter. After a successful interview, Elyse officially had an internship for the summer.
After taking a leap and having success at the career fair, Elyse advises anyone debating on attending the career fairs to simply go for it.
“Even if you aren’t looking for an internship this year, you can start networking yourself and build experience for the future.”
If you’re wanting to land an awesome internship like Elyse, check out all of the Career Fairs Iowa State has to offer! By logging into CyHire you’ll be able to research and see all of the employers attending. If you need help preparing don’t hesitate to make an appointment at Career Services through CyHire TODAY.