Meet Stephanie Yacono, our newest intern at Clairemont Communications. Stephanie is a bilingual Spanish/English graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she graduated with a double major in international public relations and Spanish. Prior to joining the team, she has held various internship positions, including a position as a marketing and event planning intern for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a public relations intern for the Center for Global Public Relations and, most recently, a production assistant for Univision during the Democratic National Convention. Here’s what she had to say about her time spent there.
Last week was by far one of the most memorable moments of my early career. Not only did I have the opportunity to work at the DNC – I was working for one of my favorite television networks ever: Univision!
Univision is the leading and largest Spanish-speaking television network in the United States, and I have been a fanatic for many years. When I learned about the opportunity, I immediately applied. I’m still a little bit in disbelief that they chose me! I arrived at the convention at the Time Warner Cable Arena on Monday morning. It was the beginning of a long week that concluded Thursday night around 4 a.m., after driving several news team members back to their hotel. Every day consisted of early mornings, long hours and late nights, and it was absolutely worth it. And yes, I would do it all over again!
From day one, I was in a delightful daze after arriving and being greeted by Monica Cordova, a manager and coordinator for Univision. Cordova gave me an official press pass; of course, I Instagramed and tweeted it immediately. This pass was magical to a blossoming communications specialist because it meant I would be able to go to all areas unseen to the public eye. It was true PR bliss!
I learned a lot at the convention. I got to see how various aspects of public relations and other communications industries work together. Univision’s broadcast media workspace was in the Charlotte Convention Center, but there were tons of other well-known companies there, as well. It was a conglomeration of mixed media corporations all under one roof, working diligently to offer a different perspective of the DNC to the public. One commonality they all shared is that they all anxiously waited to receive press releases from the DNC’s public relations team. These releases were imperative in guiding the media because they provided information about the entire political campaign agenda, including the schedule of events, speakers and their speeches.
This was an amazing internship experience because I was able to dabble in all of the different types of communications organizations. I got to see firsthand how the industry itself is expanding and works together in order to communicate timely and effectively with its publics. I specifically enjoyed working with Univision because I am someone who represents, understands and has always strived to help strengthen all philanthropic endeavors for the Latino/Hispanic and Spanish-speaking communities both in the United States and internationally.
It is because of the hard work of communication leaders and organizations that any and all political platforms can be heard. It is important for people to hear what their future leaders are saying because this will affect their lives in both simple and profound ways. Communications efforts make this possible, and we should strive to continue as a people to demand transparency and truth, as well as protect freedom of speech. It was an honor to work for such a prestigious television network and be able to witness a political campaign unfold in front of my eyes. I was part of history in the making!
