**By Maya Minocha**
**Year:** Sophomore
**Major:** Apparel Merchandising, Journalism and Mass Communication
**Internship:** Fashion Intern, Purple PR
As soon as I stepped foot on campus I knew I wanted to start looking for internships, so I started applying for anything I was qualified for. I went through multiple interviews and emails with various companies across the country. Finally, in April, all of the stars aligned and I landed an internship at Purple in New York City!
Purple is a PR firm with many different branches such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle and talent. Working at a high fashion PR firm in New York City can be very unpredictable. Some days I might be making media lists and press clippings, and other days I might be delivering something to Vogue or a movie set. One of the main things I’ve learned this summer is how to use different computer programs like Fashion GPS and Fashion Monitor. These programs help us track where the items in our showroom are located.
Moving to New York City and starting an internship has taught me so much! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first arrived, but I love New York City more than anything. Living in New York City is a whole different world, and I’ve met so many people who work in different industries and have helped me make the most of my internship.
The cool thing about internships is they are a bridge between college and the real world – you can take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to something that you will be doing once you graduate. Because I only had taken freshmen-level classes, I was worried that I wouldn’t know the things I was supposed to when starting my internship. But I’ve realized Iowa State does such a good job preparing its students for internships.
Even though I had only taken a few PR and fashion classes, what I learned in those classes helped me out so much. I had taken an overview of the fashion industry class and an advertising class, and both helped prepare me for my internship. It was really helpful that I knew about how the seasons and fashion weeks work before I started, and I apply the knowledge from my advertising class (including circulation, unique monthly views and various media position) when I create media lists and monthly reports. Having that background really helped me in understanding the industry more.
My advice to anyone trying to get an internship is to just reach out to people and to not give up. I didn’t just magically land an internship: I was involved a lot on campus with Trend magazine and the Iowa State Daily. Being involved on campus is a great way to build connections. I think that a very common mistake people make is expecting an internship to come to them. In reality, hiring interns can be a low priority, and a lot of the time, it takes you being very persistent and emailing companies and alumni asking for internships.
***
### [Vote for this entry in Round 2 of the 2017 Greenlee School Summer Intern Blogging Contest.](https://survey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cYXgeM84xZrltHf)
**Voting begins at noon on Aug. 10 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 17. The winner will be announced Aug. 18 by noon.**