Tag: internship

What I’ve Been Doing In Quarantine

Published on by KaylaLeave a comment

We’re a little over a month into quarantine, and it would be easy to say I’m not going crazy being stuck inside. However, I have been trying to make good use of my time, and keep a balance between work and relaxation. This was a tough balance to find at first- working from home is not my forte- but the longer I’ve gone on, the easier it’s become. Here’s how I’ve been spending my days since shelter-in-place went into effect.

1. Got an internship

More on this in an upcoming post, but I was incredibly lucky to score a social media internship position with Tart-a-licious French Desserts during this quarantine experience! Since I have extra free time now that I’m not going to physical classes or commuting to campus, an internship seemed like the perfect way to fill my time. Can’t wait to share more about my experience soon!

2. Updated my resume

With new industry experience comes a new resume. I’m particularly anal about mine (not surprising when you own a resume design business) and reformatting mine to fit my new experiences was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to use it to start lobbying for a summer internship position!

3. Found new resume clients

I’m not the only one needing a new resume right now! To help those affected by COVID-19, I’m currently offering a discount of $30/document to all new resume clients. Hopefully this is able to help those seeking employment in a troubled job market. (Interested? Email me at kaylamccullough@ou.edu)

4. Designed for Redbubble

Recently, I realized I need to start capitalizing on my graphic design skills and upload more of my work to Redbubble. If you have anything you want to see, let me know!

5. Started rewatching Gossip Girl

This one shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. I’ve been binging Gossip Girl since my sophomore year of high school (7 whole years, which is kinda crazy) and I just got back into it recently. Since I’ve seen the whole series all the way through more than 10 times, it’s the perfect show to have on in the background if I’m doing other things. Currently on season 4!

6. Played animal crossing

Wild World, not New Horizons. For some reason I just can’t give the Nintendo DS version up- I’ve had it since 5th grade and still love socializing with my villagers and taking care of my town when I have some down time. It’s a great way to decompress, as well!

7. Stayed focused on my goals

COVID-19 may have stopped normal life, but school goes on. I’m gearing up to finish my semester and graduate in a few weeks, albeit without a ceremony. However, I’m excited to officially have my bachelor’s degree and officially be a master’s student! After I finish writing this post I’m going to start working on my 2-year plan. I’m excited to see where life takes me over the next year and the year after my master’s graduation, and I want to be prepared!

-K

What to Expect as an Intern at bread and Butter PR

Published on by Kayla1 Comment

It’s crazy to me that I’m almost done with my summer internship with bread & Butter PR. My summer in Austin has been one that I’ll never forget, and a lot of that is because of the incredible internship experience I had. For anyone majoring in public relations, I highly recommend applying to intern with b&B. They have offices all over the United States (literally coast to coast!) and are always looking for interns for the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Here’s an inside look into what you can expect if you decide to take part in the #breadandbutterlife:

Sharpen up your writing skills

Newsflash, this is super traditional PR, which means you’ll be writing… a lot. I love writing (as y’all already know,) so a writing-heavy internship didn’t intimidate me. Even if you don’t feel as strong on the writing front, you’ll get tons of great feedback as your internship progresses. They want you to get better!

Don’t expect to be making coffee runs

Whenever my friends asked me what I was responsible for at b&B, they expected me to say something along the lines of “espresso runs and making copies.” They were shocked to find out that I never went to Starbucks once… except for myself, when I needed a caffeine boost mid-afternoon. b&B believes in allowing their interns to be super hands-on, which means they’ll trust you to work on super influential client projects like social media calendars and client communication plans. An client editorial recap I wrote was even featured in a magazine!
Additionally, you’ll probably also get a chance to help at a few client events over the course of the semester. My favorites were live news segment tapings and a restaurant opening for Tacodeli!

Media relations, Media relations, media relations

I feel like I wrote a press pitch at least every other day at my internship. Coming from a curriculum that was super press release-heavy, this was a learning curve I had to face, but I definitely improved as the summer went on. Now, a little under 3 months in, I feel super well-versed in local Austin media and the types of stories they cover. I’ve also become familiar with the Austin influencer scene, something super interesting to me since I’m a blogger as well!

Dog! Friendly!

You heard that right- b&B allows dogs. Not all b&B offices allow fur babies, but Austin does, and that was the greatest surprise ever when I arrived for my first day of work. If you’re like me and moving away from home for an internship opportunity, even 2 days a week with a dog is enough to cure some of the dog homesickness. I’m going to miss my coworkers, but I’m also going to miss Louise, Mohawk, Santos, and the two Lolas!

Work hard & Play hard

I can’t speak for other offices, but the ladies at the Austin office are some of the hardest workers I’ve ever witnessed. They grind through the whole work day, securing press coverage and expertly advancing the image of our clients. But, when the time comes, they also know how to have fun as well. One of my favorite traditions at b&B is Wine Wednesday. It’s always so fun to see which coworker is bringing in goodies, and I love using the last hour of our work day to spend time with my work friends!

OVErall

Do you want to be a publicist some day? Do you like food & bev? Do you like to travel? Do you like to write? Do you enjoy reading the news and building relationships with the media?
If you answered yes, then you should apply to be a b&B intern! I can’t recommend this experience enough- it’s a game changer, and I know that the skills and mentorship I’ve received this summer are things I will carry with me through to my future career.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! You can DM me on Instagram @selfiesandootds or email me at selfiesandootds@gmail.com.

-K

Back At It

Published on by Kayla1 Comment

It feels so great to be back! For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been trying to get over a bad case of bronchitis that seriously knocked me off my feet. I missed a week of work, since I could barely do more than browse Pinterest and binge Gossip Girl in bed. But after 14 days of sickness and 12 different medications, I finally found something that worked and I’m going to be back at my internship today.

Since this is my first time out of pajamas in a while, I knew I wanted to dress comfortably. (I have had ample time to brainstorm new outfit ideas while stuck in bed, but jumping straight from flannel to a denim mini skirt felt like a lot.) After some brief deliberation while standing in my closet this morning, I settled on a soft knit t-shirt dress and leggings for today’s #OOTD. Comfy and cute!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Jacket: Freeborn Denim Jacket – Target
Dress: Striped T-Shirt Dress (similar)
Leggings: High-Waist Leggings – Yogalicious
Shoes: Advantage Sneaker – Adidas

I only have 2 weeks left here in Austin, and I’m ready to finish up showing y’all the city before I move back to Norman in August. I’m glad my sickness will soon be a distant memory, because I still have some things I want to do!

-K

A Midsummer Life Update

Published on by KaylaLeave a comment

Hey everyone! I can’t believe summer is over halfway done. I’ve done so much during my time in Austin this summer, and wanted to give everyone a recap in case you haven’t been following along!

the city

Austin has been such a fun place to spend the summer. Between hiking in Zilker Park, paddle boarding on Lady Bird Lake, and swimming at Barton Springs, I feel like I’m truly taking advantage of everything this city has to offer in the summer. So far, my only real complaint has been the traffic (tell me why it takes me 30-40 minutes to make a 4 mile drive home!) but honestly, I’ve even gotten used to that by now. This is such a fun city to spend a summer in, and I wouldn’t mind moving here post-college (as long as my work commute isn’t past 30 minutes. That’s probably my limit.)

my personal Health

If you follow along on my Instagram stories, you’ve probably seen that I’m a regular at Todd Pilates and Barre! After losing weight over the past year, I decided it was time to focus on gaining strength and toning up my body. I’ve also tried to stick to my calorie-counting plan, but let’s be real: when friends and family come in town, you want to enjoy the food that Austin has to offer. So I’d say I’ve only been consistent with my calorie-counting about 75% of the time. If you’re interested in how I calorie count, or want tips on how to eat healthier, you can check out my blog posts on those topics!

my internship

I’ve been interning with bread & Butter PR this summer, and I’m loving it! I really enjoy going into work M/W/F and knowing that the work I’m doing makes a difference for our clients. One of our clients, Freebirds World Burrito, has been one of my all-time favorite restaurants since middle school. It’s a super full-circle moment that I now get to work on their account as a PR intern! Everyone always says that you’ll learn more in your internships than you will in a college classroom, and I’ve found that to be very true, especially in agency life. I can’t wait for this to be my career someday!

future career goals

Speaking of my future career, I’ve set some pretty big goals for myself going into the future! After graduating in May 2020, I want to spend the summer interning in New York City. It’s a big leap for me, but I love NYC with my whole heart and know that it would be great for my future career. I’ve already started internship-hunting, so I’ll be prepared when applications open around January-February. My biggest hurdle will be finding a place to live, but since the housing market in NYC shifts so frequently, I’m not too focused on that yet. If you have any NYC subletting tips, please send them my way!

Overall

I love Austin, but I’m also excited to go back to Norman and be around all my friends. I’ll be starting graduate courses, beginning my full-time work as Outreach Officer for my sorority, and blogging on the side. Less than a month left in Texas, and then back to Oklahoma for my senior year!

-K

Tacodeli Grand Opening

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If you followed along with my Instagram story on Monday, then you saw that downtown Austin recently had a Tacodeli grand opening! Since Tacodeli is one of bread & Butter‘s clients, I got to join in on the fun and finally experience these supposedly magnificent tacos for the first time.

I’ve always been a Torchy’s fan, so the bar was set pretty high. Would Tacodeli be able to measure up?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Oh. My. God. These were seriously the best breakfast tacos I’ve ever had. I’m seriously in love with breakfast food and like to eat it whenever I get the chance, so that’s pretty high praise coming from me. I seriously can’t recommend these enough! The only downer is that they only serve their breakfast tacos until 11 a.m. on weekdays, and I would probably rather have them for lunch. Well, that and that the closest Tacodeli to Norman is in Plano!

The fun didn’t end with free tacos! As part of the PR team, I was recruited to be a model for Tacodeli’s social media. They gave me a Tacodeli shirt (which I was allowed to keep) and guided me through posing with a plate of delicious tacos. The smile on my face is genuine, I kept giggling because they had me hold and alter this pose so long!

Click here to see Tacodeli’s Instagram post, AKA what was basically my modeling debut.

Overall, it was such a fun morning! I’m craving some more breakfast tacos just writing this, so I know I’ll be back soon. If you missed my Instagram story on Monday, you can catch up with the highlight in my bio called “b&b life”!

-K

Fluff Meringues and More

Published on by Kayla1 Comment

By this point, you’re probably aware that I pretty much have the best summer internship ever (and if you’re new, you can read about our casual chic dress code and our pet-friendly policy and catch up!) But beyond getting to expand my wardrobe and see furry friends at work every day, we also have another company-wide tradition that I’m so excited to share: Wine Wednesdays!

It’s pretty self explanatory. On Wednesdays at the office (I’m blessed with that M/W/F life) someone brings in sips and sweets for the whole crew. It’s a great time to bond with your team and get those creative juices flowing with a quick sugar rush. This week, we had Fluff Meringues & More! (Thanks, Victoria!)

I’ve actually been super into meringues lately (I don’t want to tell you how many Trader Joe’s vanilla meringues I’ve eaten in the past 2 weeks… or even the past 24 hours) so I was super excited when Victoria showed up with these! The box came with an assortment of flavors of meringues and French macarons, two of my favorite desserts.

The assortment box Victoria bought came with a variety pack of flavors, but luckily I was able to guesstimate which one was which so I could get a flavor I liked. Based on my powers of deductive reasoning, I was able to end up with a caramel meringue and a chocolate caramel macaron. Score!

Having eaten the Trader Joe’s variety of meringues and macarons most recently, the freshly baked versions were like a little slice of heaven. Both were light and airy, but packed with flavor. I’ll definitely be bringing some home sometime soon! Although next time, I’ll make sure to order just the flavors I enjoy and take the guesswork out. The assortment pack sure made for a pretty picture, but I’m really not much of a passionfruit or pineapple kind of girl.

-K

Peachy Keen

Published on by Kayla1 Comment

Have I mentioned how much I love bread & Butter’s casual chic dress code? Probably, but I’ll say it again anyways. I refreshed and revamped my professional wardrobe before the move to Austin, but I couldn’t be more thrilled to not need it. Being able to look and feel like myself in my work environment is such a plus! (Also, can we just appreciate how perfectly my Apple Watch matches this #OOTD? I’m in love!)

SHOP THE LOOK:

Top: Short Sleeve Crew T-Shirt – Target
Overalls: Skinny Denim Overalls – Macy’s
Shoes: Advantage Sneaker – Adidas

Another reason I love my internship? It’s pet friendly! It seems like almost every day I have a furry friend to keep me company. Most recently, it was my mentor Mandy’s kitten, Napoleon! Not to be dramatic, but I would die for him.

I love this internship for so much more than just the dress code. I feel like I’m learning so much and really making a difference in this office! Can’t wait to see how far I’ve come by the end of the summer.

-K

Bachelorette Vibes

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Do y’all watch The Bachelorette? I’m loving this season already, and we’re only two episodes in! I rarely laugh out loud when I’m watching TV, but these past two episodes have had me cackling. They also provided some fashion inspiration, too!

On Hannah’s first one-on-one date, she chose to go four-wheeling in an all-white ensemble. Her white denim jacket ended up covered in mud (and ultimately ruined,) but it did remind me of my own! I just bought this one and The Bachelorette 15:02 definitely gave me enough inspiration to break it in.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Bandana: Black Bandana – Hobby Lobby
Jacket: Freeborn Denim Jacket – Target
Top: Short Sleeve Crew T-Shirt – Target
Belt: Loop Belt – Target
Jeans: Mid-Rise Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans – Old Navy
Shoes: Advantage Sneaker – Adidas

I can’t wait for next week’s Bachelorette episode! Hopefully Hannah Beast’s outfits give me some more #OOTD ingenuity. (If you know how the season ends, no spoilers please!)

-K

New and Fresh and Golden

Published on by Kayla1 Comment

Wow, I’ve missed writing for you guys! I’ve spent the past few days moving to Austin for my internship and getting settled into my new room. It took me a little bit to figure out where my new #OOTD backdrop was going to be, but I figured it out, and now I get to start sharing fashion content with y’all again!

“Today, everything is new and fresh and golden. Today my internship begins.”

-Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl Season 4: Episode 13

Today was the first day of my internship at bread & Butter PR, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t watch Gossip Girl 4:13 when I was getting ready this morning. Luckily, my day consisted of a lot more work and a lot less backstabbing than Blair’s first day at her internship!

When I showed up for my first day, I found out that I was actually overdressed. Jeans are perfectly fine at b&B, so I’ll definitely be taking advantage of that in the days to come! Although, all things considered, today’s outfit choice was a pretty comfy one.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Top: Women’s Fitted Short Sleeve Crew T-Shirt – Target
Pants: Paper-bag Pants – H&M
Shoes: Sternatia Flat – Aldo

Going a few days without posting was strange for me, but it was important that I prioritized moving in and getting settled prior to my big first day! Can’t wait to show more #OOTDs with y’all soon, especially because of b&B’s casual chic dress code!

-K

Bread and Butter PR

Published on by Kayla2 Comments

I am back with a gigantic LIFE UPDATE to share!

As I’ve talked about in previous posts, I’ve been on an internship hunt for summer 2019. I had been applying several places, and not hearing back. The process was way more tedious than I had ever expected. I was applying to so many cool places, and never even getting a response back was really starting to take a toll on me. Was I ever going to get an internship for summer 2019?

As some of you know, I went on a PRSSA trip to Austin back in March. (You can read about the trip here.) On that trip, one of the PR agencies we visited was called bread & Butter, and I fell in love with it immediately. As soon as I got home from the trip, I emailed the intern coordinators my resume and cover letter directly. I wanted to work for bread & Butter so badly, but after a few weeks of not hearing anything, I didn’t have high hopes.

But luckily, this story has an uber happy ending. I ended up being moved to the interview stage for bread & Butter, and then before I knew it, they had offered me the position! Of all the places I had applied to for summer internships, they were my top choice and I was beyond excited.

With all that being said, I am so excited to announce that I’ll be moving to Austin, Texas for the summer of 2019 to be the public relations intern for bread & Butter! I can’t wait to learn from such a great company and spend the summer in a new city. I hope you’ll continue to follow along this summer as I share my adventures in Austin!

-K