A Force to be reckoned with: Roseann Chi and her summer internship 

By Madison Dye

For students, internships are the perfect way to utilize classroom knowledge and put it to the test in the real world. For senior public relations student Roseann Chi, interning at LaForce over the past summer allowed her to put her skills to work and learn outside of a classroom setting.

LaForce is a medium-sized agency located in Manhattan, New York. Their clients include Target, Hunter Boots, LinkedIn and Nike. 

“As this was my first internship, I knew I wanted three things: to be in New York City, to work for a beauty or fashion client and also to be surrounded by as many different clients as possible in order to learn as much as I could,” Chi said.

Last fall, Chi started connecting with University of Georgia graduates on LinkedIn, which eventually led to a UGA grad sending her resume to LaForce. After a Skype interview and a few months of waiting, Chi learned she landed the job.

During her internship, Chi said she worked on media monitoring, clipping, creating placement emails, sending gifts to influencers and much more. Each day, she would find relevant beauty and fashion news and send important information to her team.

“Many mornings, the team is so busy doing client work that they don’t have enough time to read the news, so that’s where I came in,” Chi said. “I found the importance of being really up to date with the industry you are working in.”

In her spare time, Chi said she learned about new beauty trends and would ask her supervisor if she or the team needed any help.

“I found out that the more you ask, the better. Every internship is going to be different but if you are proactive and make the most of the experience, it will only be better for you,” Chi said. 

During her time at LaForce, Chi learned that communication is everything. Whether it be starting or completing a project, being late to work or being unable to finish something, communication is key. She explained the most important thing she learned was the importance of being proactive and the significance of interpersonal skills.

“It’s really easy to go into work and just do what you are told to do. It’s even better if you can go and ask for more work,” Chi said.

Chi advises students to start looking as early as possible for internships. She explained any experience is a good one and to not be too hard on yourself. Keep being positive, make connections and be involved in on-campus activities.

“Everyone here is talented and has a lot to bring to the table,” Chi said. “Just don’t give up on yourself, even if it gets tough.”

Interested in hearing more about what UGA students have to say about their past internships? Make sure to come to Studio 100 at 6:30 pm on Sept. 17 for PRSSA’s internship panel!