Name: Erica Swoish
Hometown: Northville, Mich.
Major: Communication; Public Relations Specialization
Graduation Date: May 2013
Company: The Dow Chemical Company
Location: Midland, Mich.
Amount of time at internship: Three months; Summer 2012.
How did you hear about this opportunity?
I first learned about this internship opportunity through an information session presented by The Dow Chemical Company and facilitated by MSU’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Chapter and the College for Communication Arts & Sciences’ (CAS) Career Services Center. As a member of PRSSA and peer advisor for CAS Career Services, I volunteered to help promote the event around campus. After attending the information session myself, I became interested in applying for the company’s public affairs internship.
How do/did you like the internship?
My internship with The Dow Chemical Company has been a fantastic learning experience. Throughout my time at the corporate headquarters, I have met with several of the executive leadership members within the public affairs department and have had the opportunity to work directly with business management team for Dow Epoxy. Working for a business within the larger corporation, I have had the opportunity to collaborate closely with members of several functions including marketing, supply chain and finance. I have gained a better understanding of how different roles work together to develop a strong business. Each individual I have met with during my time at Dow has provided a unique perspective on the business and great advice for my future career.
What are my responsibilities?
During my time at Dow, I am working for the Epoxy business executing both internal and external communications. The Epoxy business has a global reach spanning across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Two of my main projects over the summer have been to complete the second quarter Epoxy newsletter and webcast. These communications detail the business’ performance on a financial, innovation and operations level. I also have been involved in redeveloping the Epoxy Intranet site, creating an online dashboard to increase visibility and accountability for the business’ metrics and facilitating new communication initiatives within the business. In addition, I have written news releases and customer communications, and am currently assisting Dow Automotive Systems’ with the BMW Drive for Team USA employee event in Midland, Mich.
How will my internship help prepare me for my career?
Following my internship last summer at a small public relations agency, my time at Dow has allowed me to gain experience in a new aspect of public relations. At the agency I focused on media relations and social media strategy for our clients. At Dow, my main responsibilities are focused on internal employee communications. In contrast to gaining an understanding of my clients’ audiences, I am communicating directly to those that I interact with on a daily basis and am able to ask them questions about their preferences to improve our existing methods of communication.
Would I recommend this internship to other students?
I would highly recommend an internship with The Dow Chemical Company to other students at MSU. Working for a large corporation provides the opportunity to explore many different sectors. This summer the public affairs function had interns working for a business within the corporation, human resources, operations, and customer and business events. With so many different opportunities available, it is easy to find a sector in the company that fits your interests and skill set.