A Message from Hannah Jacobson, FPRA Orlando 2023 Intern of the Year
Hello, FPRA Orlando! My name is Hannah Jacobson and I was chosen as the 2023 FPRA Orlando PR Intern of the Year. I wanted to share with you my experience as intern of the year and encourage PR professionals to nominate interns for this award. Over the course of this period, I have been lucky enough to work with incredible PR professionals that have benefited my career journey, as well as guided me throughout navigating collegiate life in and out of school. Please consider nominating your interns for this accolade, as it has helped me in many ways to begin in the public relations field.
For the fall semester of my junior year, after a string of interviews and a sprinkle of good luck, the Public Relations team at Universal Orlando Resort brought me on as their intern. I hit the ground running, with my first day being the media event for Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights. I will never forget that day and how much I aspired to be like those that surrounded me. You could automatically tell that the team knew exactly what they were doing. They were calm, cool, collected, and even took time to explain to me what was going on (and there was a lot going on). Right from that point, I knew that these people would continue to inspire me throughout the rest of my internship and career. After that, I went on to lead my own media event for Halloween Horror Nights, taking students from the Orlando area to cover the event for their respective media outlets. The months following were nothing short of spectacular as well - working every media event, collaborating with the other teams for production shoots, writing press releases and running an activation for Mardi Gras’ Fat Tuesday where I got to work with social media influencers, news outlets, print journalists and more.
The morning of April 5, 2023 was so incredibly special to me. Little did I know that the FPRA Orlando’s Chapter Leadership was waiting outside of our 11:30 a.m. meeting with flowers, balloons and a certificate for me. I remember being shocked to be receiving this award, but the entire Universal Orlando Resort team nominating me was what really tugged at my heartstrings. These people have shown me such kindness, eloquence in career, leadership and teamwork, and they’re nominating ME for an award? I have never felt gratitude like that in my career thus far - like all my hard work had paid off, and that I was truly in the right place. College can be daunting and overwhelming, so I am forever grateful to the team for thinking to nominate me into an accolade that benefits my future endeavors.
Flash forward to a year later, I have just graduated magna cum laude from the University of Central Florida in Media Production and Management and am looking forward to a bright career! Universal Orlando Resort showed me what a successful public relations career looks like and I am so lucky to have studied under them. Receiving the FPRA Orlando Intern of the Year award is not only a memory that I cherish deeply, but a reminder that what you put into something is what you get out of it. Thank you so much to Alyson Sologaistoa, Kristen Clark Smith, Kenneth Morgan-Schleuning, Karla Ochoa Solther, Jennifer Vasbinder, Sarah Chaudhary, Natalia Murillo Gomez, Linda Laguardia, Taelor Owen, and Allison Jimenez for being the best team out there! Also, a HUGE thank you to Jose Luis Dieppa, Teresa Suits, and everyone at FPRA for supporting me throughout the past term. I have loved being able to contribute and will always remember this year!
