Burke takes internship
with Book Hill Partners
From hackers to congressmen, public relations intern Molly Burke (junior, Stillwater, Minn.), has dealt with them all.
Burke was a full-time summer intern at Book Hill Partners in Washington, D.C., through the Washington Center this past summer. Burke not only earned nine elective semester hours, she also gained hands-on public relations experience.
She first heard about the Washington Center in her American Politics class. The program helps students from hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and other countries find internships in Washington, D.C. It is the largest program of its kind.
Meeting Politicians During her internship in Washington, D.C., Burke was able to meet with government officials such as Senator Klobuchar Photo by Molly Burke
"It’s great! You give them your resume and your fields of interest and they send it out for you. Then you begin getting calls," Burke said. "Book Hill Partners was one of the first places that contacted me. I thought about it for a day or so and then accepted it."
Book Hill Partners prides itself on providing strategic solutions to complex problems by combining public affairs, government relations, business strategic planning and public policy expertise. Its clients range from government and city agencies to corporations.
Burke worked in the office alongside two other interns.
"There were three of us, but we were all working on different projects," Burke said.
She often worked with Rob Housman, the acting executive director of the Cyber Security Institute (CSI), which is a newly established analysis and advocacy institute dedicated to raising awareness about effective cyber security. Unlike most groups of its kind, it is not an industry or trade association.
CSI’s main objective is to raise awareness about the cyber threats faced by the nation, companies and individuals. Burke explains that the nation needs to stop relying on old security systems and needs to start using "inherently secure technology," which is a phrase she heard daily.
A big part of her job was regularly attending congressional hearings on cyber security and reporting back to her office about what was discussed. Companies such as Norton would often come speak. Burke explains that this is where she learned that there is no cohesiveness when it comes to security programs from one government office to the next. This is dangerous because they are connecting and sharing information that is easily intercepted without the correct programs.
Life in the nation's capital While working for Book Hill Partners, Burke was also able to take in our nation’s capital Photo by Molly Burke
Most of Burke’s daily activities included compiling extensive research and writing press releases.
"My boss would give me an idea of something cool, such as a press release to raise awareness, and then I would go research it," Burke said. "It was really fun, never just busy work."
Burke realized that her hard work and research had paid off when she was asked to write a press release about Microsoft being hacked. She explains that when large computer companies get hacked, they often don’t tell anyone and bury it within their records, so it is important to get the word out about it. In this particular instance, Microsoft’s Video Active X Control had been compromised.
"I wrote the release and then my boss told me to Google it. It was listed as the top 125 most read releases in the nation! I thought to myself, ’Hey, people are actually reading it!" Burke said.
As for the future, Burke is studying abroad in London during Spring 2010 and plans on doing another internship next summer. She is unsure what field she wants to pursue. "I want to try everything in journalism out," Burke said.