This is the first in a series of stories about Bellisario College students completing summer internships.
Sometimes an idea leads to an internship, and that internship leads to a potentially lifelong opportunity. Just ask Abby English.
English, a rising senior in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications majoring in advertising/public relations, followed her interests by seeking an internship related to social justice a couple of years ago. She worked with the Penn State Center Philadelphia, one of Penn State Outreach’s Urban Centers, and found a position with the Philadelphia-based 215 People’s Alliance, which focuses on political education, lobbying and engaging the community.
“I really love that intersection of communications and social justice,” English said. “My interest started in high school — that’s when I stared to be aware and care more — and Penn State opportunities have helped me really focus on that.”
With 215PA, English earned the opportunity to handle the organization’s social media channels and work with other communications channels, including design duties and newsletters.
An on-site spring semester internship with the group morphed into a paid remote position (about 10 hours a week) with the related Philly We Rise, a city-wide community resource hub, this summer. And, English will add more internship experience with the group during the fall semester.
She’s clearly found something that meets her creative passions.
“I dipped my toe into helping others and volunteering in school with groups like Best Buddies. It was rewarding and you saw the impact of helping someone else,” English said. “As a learned more about the many ways social justice effort impact me, it has really resonated. It’s just so important.”
English combined the internship and work experience with an independent study in the spring. She worked with Kristen Goessling, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Penn State Brandywine, as part of a course focused on youth development and social justice.
English’s supervisors have found someone who meets their needs as well.
“A lot of the great social movement work happening in Philadelphia could use extra support in communications and social media strategy. She immediately took a deep dive into understanding local issues in Philadelphia,” said Carly Pourzand, the community engagement specialist at Penn State Center Philadelphia. “It's truly inspiring to work with motivated students like Abby who want to work with Philadelphia communities on local issues.”
English, who is pursuing a minor in Spanish, which helps when working with immigrant populations, attended State College Area High School. During the summer, she also works at Centre Hills Country Club — an experience different than that of working with immigrant and underserved residents of Philadelphia.
She said the combination of experiences, and her preference to be busy, helps her hone necessary time management skills. She also does well networking in either environment, making connections that’ll help her grow professionally — and enable her to assist others.
“It’s exciting to think about the difference and impact you can make,” English said. “No matter what I’m doing I’m trying to get better and learn more about how to improve in terms of social justice work. That’s what motivates me most.”
While English appreciates the slower pace of Centre County, especially during the summer, she anticipates her career will start and potentially thrive in a city like Philadelphia. With a large immigrant population, as well as a strong foundation of social justice champions and organizations, English knows that’s where she needs to be to pursue her goals.
Plus, being on site in the spring helped her connect with the city and its myriad organizations.
“It would be the same anywhere, but the biggest challenge has been learning the acronyms and partnerships,” English said. “Initially I would be in a meeting, and someone would mention certain names or groups and I had to get up to speed quickly about who those groups were and what they did.”
She plans on adding her name to that list of groups and people making a similar impact soon.