Authored by Mia Parker, Public Relations student at Boston University.
Communications internships can range heavily, from in-house to agency settings, which can all operate within different industries and sectors. I recently spent one month interning at Higginson Strategy where I gained experience working at a boutique agency and learned more about conducting public affairs work. The experience has been very valuable, and I was lucky to have worked within such a welcoming and driven environment. As I reflect on the past month, here are a few things I loved about working there.
Range of client work
Higginson Strategy works with a variety of purpose-led clients. Because of this, I was able to gain experience supporting different organisations and work on many different tasks including press releases, op-eds, sell-ins, social media copy, briefing documents and media lists. Furthermore, the smaller agency environment meant I was able to take on valuable tasks that helped me gain real Communications experience. I truly felt like I was making a tangible difference and creating meaningful contributions to the agency’s work, as I was treated like a full-time member of the team. I also enjoyed getting to work on a range of accounts because no day was ever the same!
Company culture
Higginson Strategy’s boutique nature also made way for an incredibly welcoming company culture. My supervisors were eager to have me work on different tasks and sit in on meetings, and they valued my opinion in terms of the type of work I wanted to do. While everyone is extremely driven, there is also a great team culture that prioritises wellbeing and community. The team always eats lunch together, goes for fun socials, and maintains a positive office atmosphere.
Purpose and impact
Working at Higginson Strategy allowed me to find immense value in all my endeavours, as most of my time was spent working with clients related to environmentalism or women’s rights. Additionally, getting to work on public affairs helped me learn a lot about the UK socio-political environment, which I found especially insightful as an American interning abroad.
Professional development
Higginson Strategy strives to ensure that all its employees continue to grow professionally and develop new skills. Throughout my time there, I felt challenged (in a good way) to take on new tasks that I hadn’t completed in previous internship experiences. “Higginson Hack” training meetings were particularly great for teaching me expert advice. For example, I attended one on how to better use LinkedIn for business development.
I know that I will take all the skills gained at this internship to future job opportunities. Working there helped me grow immensely as a communicator and team member. If you are looking for a challenging, valuable, and meaningful work experience, then definitely apply to Higginson Strategy!