When you have a clear vision for your future, how can taking a position tangential to it change the way you approach your future path?
Laura McCutcheon’s internship at the Press Office of the Governor of Texas has taught her how the public face of the government can affect the individual organizations under it. She shares how she made the most of her university’s resources to combine her academic work in Communications with her goal of going to law school.
Name: Laura McCutcheon
Job Title: Press Office Intern at the Office of the Texas Governor, Greg Abbott
Location: Austin, Texas
College: University of Texas at Austin
Year: Rising Third Year
Major: Corporate Communications & Educational Psychology
What are you doing this summer?
I’m the Press Office Intern at the Office of the Texas Governor, Greg Abbott. The Press Office deals with reporters and media organizations in hopes to convey the Governor’s vision for Texas.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I plan on pursuing law school after graduation, after that, I would love to work for the Department of Family and Protective Services or serve as an advocate to protect the unprotected. I am passionate about people, I hope to one day open a health and wellness center aimed at assisting those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, or anyone wanting to simply improve their overall health and well being.
How did you get your internship?
The Governor’s website includes an online internship application. After applying, I went through a series of interviews and was placed in the Press Office.
What do you wish you had known during your internship search?
UT Austin has great resources for students looking for career services and advice. I’m sure most universities do, take advantage of them. I also knew that I would be spending my summer in Austin, so for the past year I had been applying to jobs and internships that I was interested in.
What does a day in the life look like?
I work three days a week at the Press Office, my day typically consists of mediating relations between the press and my supervisors. I also draft news clips and articles that eventually get compiled into a daily memo sent out by the office.
How has this job changed what you see yourself doing in the future?
I feel like this job has confirmed what I see myself doing in the future instead of changing it. I have always wanted to go to law school and I’ve worked with other family services in the past, this internship has just given me a new perspective on how the legal system and government works.
