Summer Internship Spotlight: Delta Airlines

By Ellie Hamrick

Internships, though they typically offer a beneficial learning environment, are often stressful and hard to get. So, it’s great to know that many PRSSA members, like Deborah Yoon, have had a successful internship experience and so can you. I sat down with Deborah to learn a little bit more about her summer internship experience with Delta Air Lines. Deborah, along with being the Director of Social Media for PRSSA, is a fourth-year advertising major with a minor in Korean language and literature and a certificate in new media. Here is what Deborah had to say about her internship experience: 

What did your position at Delta Air Lines entail? 

“I was a marketing intern,” Yoon said. “And the way that is broken down was I was a part of the brand and sponsorships team. And under that team, I was a part of the brand team, and I focused on ESG which is environmental, social and governance. And then under that, I focused on DEI and cultural moments. So the breakdown was very intense but my actual position entailed assisting in being a liaison between internal and external creative agencies.”

What was the biggest thing that you learned at Grady that helped you in your internship?

“My brand storytelling and media activation strategy courses were really valuable in teaching me how to get acquainted with a brand,” Yoon said. “Because of this I was able to learn about Delta’s values in the first couple weeks, which were very valuable to know throughout my internship.”

Did you know that you wanted to work in corporate PR or were you ever leaning towards working in an agency? 

Deborah at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with Delta Air Lines.

“So I haven’t had agency experience, I’ve only worked corporate,” Yoon said. “Before Delta I worked in corporate doing graphic design at NBC Universal, and that was really interesting. I did have a lot of coffee chats with my co-workers, and a lot of people did have agency experience. I was not as open to it before going into my internship but I think now, I’m actually hearing everyone’s experiences and a lot of people do recommend going into agency so I think I’m open to both.”

What was the most interesting thing you learned at Delta, or what was something that you weren’t expecting to learn?

“I didn’t realize how big of a company Delta was, but I wasn’t expecting all of the different teams even just in the marketing department,” Yoon said. “But how many stakeholders there are in the airline industry. So every airline has a lot of, I can’t think of a better word but things to think about, like government and sustainability was on my smaller team, but I wasn’t really working on sustainability. Just small things like that make such a big difference.”

What advice would you give to students looking for internships right now?

“I will say I think the interviews are important,” Yoon said. “I would prepare a lot for your interviews. And during your interviews it’s nice to know that you know everything about the company and who you’re interviewing with, if possible, as well as being able to give an elevator pitch and talk about your experiences and achievements.”