Senior's passion for creativity leads to rewarding marketing internship

MEDIA, Pa. — A passion for creativity and communicating with others is what drew Penn State Brandywine senior business major Lauren Burke to her internship at PrimePay, where she gained valuable workplace experience as the marketing and brand awareness intern.

Lauren Burke

Lauren Burke, senior business major at Penn State Brandywine. 

Credit: Michael McDade

During her nine-week summer internship, Burke handled various marketing, communications and sales tasks for the company, which provides payroll and human resource services for small business owners, according to its website.

Her daily routine included writing blog posts, managing social media accounts and creating prospecting lists using sales software. She also shadowed other PrimePay employees who worked on graphic design, web development and marketing research and analysis.

“My internship was very challenging but in a positive way. As an intern, I didn’t expect to be involved at such a high level,” she said. “Every day was different, and I had the opportunity to be creative.”

One of Burke’s most notable internship projects was to create her own marketing pitch, which she presented to fellow PrimePay employees. Her pitch highlighted ways to improve the company’s overall marketing strategy.

“I'm not as nervous about graduating now because I already have hands-on work experience,” she said. “Having completed an internship makes me more comfortable in transitioning from being a student to a professional. Internships really set students up for opportunities after graduation.”

Burke discovered the position after consultation with Brandywine’s career services office, where she was referred to Penn State’s Nittany Lion Career Network — a job site that brings together Penn State students, alumni and the employers seeking to hire them.

Along with Brandywine’s career services office, she said several courses were helpful throughout the internship process, including Lecturer in Accounting Kathleen Yanoshak’s internship preparation course and several courses taught by Associate Professor of Business Julie Stanton. 

“One of the most important aspects of learning is to practice what you’ve been taught,” Stanton said. “It all comes together more concretely when the student starts an internship in their chosen field. Not only do they experience the decision making and pace of business life, but they can bring new ideas back to the classroom as well. Lauren has been a real pleasure to have in the classroom, as she brings enthusiasm, curiosity and hard work to everything she does.”

Burke performed so well as PrimePay’s marketing and brand awareness intern that she was offered a part-time position with the company that she started Aug. 27. She hopes to eventually work at PrimePay full time after graduating in May 2020.

To watch a video about Burke's internship experience at PrimePay, visit https://vimeo.com/352127142/f2679e5cba.

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