With summer wrapping up, we can’t help but reflect on the impact our interns have had over the past few months. From creative thinking to hands-on projects, they brought energy and enthusiasm to everything they touched. Let’s take a look at the highlights of their experience and the lessons they’re taking with them as they move forward.

Build Bonds and Grow Together

This semester, I was able to play a part in seeing two campaigns come to life from start to finish. I was involved in creating tasks and action forms, proofreading decks and prints, and ensuring all timelines and client feedback were followed. It was such a great learning experience, being able to witness the complete campaign process, and how the CP team interacts with clients throughout. 

My most valuable takeaway from this internship is to start connecting and networking with people in the office right away. There are so many different and unique people in our community that have amazing stories to share! As I move forward in my professional career, I’m committed to being persistent in building connections with everyone I meet!

Wylie MacDougall, Brand Leadership Intern
University of New Hampshire 

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Discovering the Power of Culture

Being a part of CP has definitely impacted both my career and personal growth. I have had the unique opportunity to work and learn from the CP production department’s best. Working so closely and being mentored by experienced producers is a learning experience I could never gain in the classroom.

I discovered a few surprising things during my internship – the first being that the infamous CP culture truly does exist. Working here has been one of the most refreshing and inspiring experiences I’ve had when it comes to work culture. Experiencing CP’s culture firsthand has given me a new perspective on what is possible when you bring community to the workplace.

Emma Brady, Production Intern
Emerson College

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Collaboration Is Key

These past few months at Connelly Partners has definitely confirmed my goal of pursuing a career in creative copywriting. I’ve had the privilege of shadowing some really talented writers and I’m thankful to be walking away with the insights and experience I gained at CP.

Collaboration is so important and there was plenty of it to be found at CP. As someone who always dreaded group projects in school, a surprising realization I had was how much I love and thrive on collaboration. I learned how valuable it is to bounce ideas off of other people, and how much it helps promote creativity. Something you think is goofy might spark something insightful in someone else. 

Shruthi Krishnan, Copywriting Intern
Emerson College

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Find Your Voice

During the course of my internship, I believe that I made an impact on the teams and projects I worked on. Connelly Partners provides such a safe space to comfortably share ideas and be heard. Because of this, I was never afraid to state my opinion and help solve problems to drive projects forward. 

While at CP, I realized how much I love art directing and concepting. I have had a few projects during this internship where I was given the freedom to come up with ideas and I’ve noticed how happy and satisfied it makes me. Especially the pride I feel when I see it all coming together.

This internship has shown me what goes on behind the scenes when creating an ad. I’ve learned how many different people and roles come together to create a campaign. 

Juliana LaPorta, Art & Design Intern
The University of Alabama

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The Value of Hands-on Experience

Working at Connelly Partners has helped me sharpen my career focus by providing hands-on experience in creative strategy and video production. It helped build my confidence and clarify my passion for the industry. I am grateful for all the advice I received from my manager, particularly the importance of networking.

Getting so much hands-on experience during this semester was incredible. I feel fortunate to have been able to work as the second camera on a client shoot. I am especially proud that quite a bit of footage that I shot was actually used in the final product. I also have some hands-on experience in some production projects. I was able to participate in a virtual production project, which was a thrilling experience.

Edison Gao, Video & Editing Intern
Emerson College

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Learn From Your Peers

Going into college, I knew I was interested in marketing, but I wasn’t sure where in the field I fit into. Taking a media planning class in college exposed me to media as a subject, but this internship has proven to me how much media excites me and I want to continue in this field as I advance in my career. I have also gained so much confidence in myself, my ability to do challenging work, and my communication skills. 

I learned that you shouldn’t be afraid to make yourself known. Throughout the summer, I made it my goal to meet with every person on my team and at least one person in each department. At first, it was nerve-wracking to ask to take time out of someone’s busy schedule, but the more meetings I set up, the more comfortable and confident I became. It has been very rewarding to form these connections and there is so much to learn from the people around me.

Rebecca Gaffin, Media Intern
Suffolk University 

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Embrace Every Opportunity 

My experience working with other interns on client projects was incredibly rewarding. We learned a lot from each other by sharing ideas, managing activities, and holding work sessions together to complete projects. 

I am thankful to have had a manager who taught me so much; like how to use some of the hottest technologies, like ChatGPT, to help me work more efficiently. She encouraged me to utilize my talents and because of this, I have been working on improving my coding skills and will be pursuing a computer science program to develop marketing applications in the future.

If I could share one piece of advice, it would be to be open to everything and work hard to achieve your goals.

Rami Huu Nguyen, Strategy Intern
UMass Boston

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Fully Immerse Yourself 

I majored in film in college, so my exposure to the advertising world was limited at the start of my internship. Because of this, I was really like diving headfirst into the deep end and just seeing what happened. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the fast-paced, on-your-toes speed that the advertising industry moves at. Having to jump from project to project so quickly is a thrilling experience. 

It’s important to take in as much as you can. Sit in on more meetings, observe more of the entire process, learn more beyond your role. The more insight you have into every department, the better.

Andrew Powers, Photography & Editing Intern
American University

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Take Charge of Your Experience

Working on clients that involved collaboration across several departments was a key experience during my internship. With each department bringing its own expertise, communication was crucial. Everyone proactively contributed their insights, driven by curiosity to understand the full picture. What made it work was the respect we had for each other’s perspectives, ensuring that every voice was heard. This taught me that effective teamwork hinges on both active participation and empathetic communication, which are essential for aligning diverse teams towards a common goal.

If I could go back to the start of my internship, I would advise myself to be proactive in reaching out to others and not wait for opportunities to come to me. Connelly Partners is full of experienced professionals eager to share their knowledge, and I’d remind myself to tap into that resource from day one. Moving forward, I’ll carry this lesson with me, always seeking out opportunities to learn from those around me and contributing actively.

Mia Park, Analytics Intern
Boston College

Neal Malone, PR & Social Media Management Supervisor

“Guinness tastes so much different in Ireland—it’s way better than what we get in the U.S.” 

To everyone who said that to me ahead of my first visit to the Emerald Isle…can I be honest? As hard as I tried, I couldn’t really tell the difference—and I say that with the utmost respect. To me, it tasted as fantastic as it always does. 

But after several weeks—and plenty of thirst-quenching field research—a lightbulb went off. I realized exactly why people are so partial to an Irish pour of Guinness. It’s because of the place. The people. The positivity that you’re surrounded with. That’s why Guinness “tastes” better in Ireland.

So as I look back on my month abroad, I’ll say this…Ireland is a truly remarkable place that is home to the nicest, most welcoming people I’ve ever encountered. Here’s what else I’ll remember from my experience:

True Cultural Immersion

When you live somewhere for a whole month, you’re gifted with a cultural experience that goes way beyond that of a typical vacation. Our Irish immersion of course included the greatest hits—parks, museums, landmarks, and pubs—but it was the everyday stuff that I appreciated the most. The coffee shop conversations with locals, the casual neighborhood strolls, the education on Gaelic football and hurling, and the opportunity to work out of our Dublin office. 

Rain or shine, I couldn’t get enough of my walks to and from the office. It was my moment to take it all in—from beautiful architecture all the way down to little cultural observations like “I still can’t tell which side of the sidewalk people want me to walk on.” 

At the office, I learned a lot from our ever-so-welcoming counterparts in Dublin. There’s a feeling of warmth and balance when you walk into the office—everybody is sharp, creative, and highly dedicated, yet at the same time (seemingly) unafflicted by the common stressors of the American work environment. I mean, on most days, the majority of the office gathers around the kitchen table to catch up and eat lunch together—when’s the last time you’ve seen that in the U.S?

The Many Sides of Ireland

European adventures always come with the temptation to pack a bag and jet off to a different country every weekend. I get it—it’s easy to get swept up by Ireland’s close proximity to places like England, France, and Spain. But this time around, we kept things simple. After kicking things off with a family beach vacation in Portugal’s Algarve region, we really focused our attention on Ireland—and I’m glad we did. 

As city people turned suburban dwellers, we enjoyed living in the thick of things again. Dublin is a bustling, walkable city with amazing parks, accessible public transit, big sporting events/concerts, and an excellent restaurant scene that is packed with flavors from around the globe. 

We rented a car on a few different occasions, creating opportunities to venture outside of Dublin to places like the Wicklow Mountains, Malahide Castle, Bray, Howth, and Maynooth. There are so many cool things to do within a 30-45 minute drive—from beaches and hiking trails to historical landmarks and family-friendly farms. 

The real highlight of our stay, though, was our trip to Dingle. Located in Kerry on Ireland’s west coast, Dingle is a solid 4-5 hour drive from Dublin. Getting out there takes you through the lush countryside that you picture when you think of Ireland—green field after green field, filled with cows and sheep. As for Dingle, it’s a little seaside town that delivers on every imaginable level. Slea Head Drive takes you along the cliffs of the Dingle Peninsula and offers the most amazing ocean views. The harbor is home to several companies that offer boat tours—we were even blessed with a sunny day for ours! In town, there’s a staggeringly high concentration of fun pubs (all of which offer excellent live music on most nights) and some really amazing seafood spots. 

If Not Now, When?

Like with any big decision or opportunity, the longer you think about it, the more likely you are to talk yourself out of it. We could have found plenty of reasons to push this type of a trip further down the road, but we didn’t. We recognized the uniqueness of the opportunity and dove in head first. I couldn’t be happier with our decision and I know that this experience will be something I’ll look back on—personally and professionally—for a long, long time.