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Marquis Scholar Jessica Zafonte ’06 (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) got a taste of the public relations field through an externship during the January interim session.
A biology major, Zafonte observed and participated in a variety of activities during a week shadowing Noelle Fankhauser ’02, an account executive with Belsito & Co. in New York City, a medical communications company specializing in pharmaceutical public relations.
A biology major, Zafonte was among about 200 Lafayette students who gained first-hand knowledge of the professional world in January. They served externships with alumni and other experienced professionals in business, the arts, education, healthcare, law, engineering, science, government, non-profits, and other fields. The students observed work practices, learned about careers they may consider entering after college, and developed professional networking contacts.
Zafonte did some research, helped assemble packets to send clients, and observed staff in training. “It made me more interested in the public relations field,” she says.
She learned that meeting clients’ needs demands care and attention to detail.
“We had to do the packets perfectly,” she says. “In public relations, you’re a slave to your clients.”
She also observed how carefully Fankhauser and other staff prepared for a conference in Arizona.
“They wanted every aspect to be impressive,” Zafonte notes. She also found it interesting to watch a staff training session in which newer staff presented their ideas to longtime employees, pretending to try to win them over as clients.
Zafonte says she liked the fact that Fankhauser isn’t much older than she is and could relate to someone her age.
“I want to provide the opportunity for someone else to learn what public relations is really like,” Fankhauser says. “Jessica got knee-deep in what I do, attending meetings and internal training programs and helping me plan a meeting for doctors. She also helped me with research. She said she felt she had been able to see how every day is different.”
Zafonte is a graduate of Arlington Senior High School.