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In January, Ami Davey ’02 (Wading River, N.Y.) started gaining experience in the public relations field through a semester-long internship with Lafayette’s Public Information Office. She is working under the direction of news editor and Lafayette alumnus Dave Block ’93.
Davey, an English major and economics and business minor, was recommended to the position by her academic adviser, Joseph Martin, associate professor of English. After Davey expressed her interest in writing and public relations as possible careers, Martin felt an internship with the Public Information Office would be an ideal experience.
These past few months have shown Davey that his assumption was correct, she says.
“Since David believes that learning by doing is the best way for him to teach us, he basically handed me a list of article topics and asked me to jump right in — start researching, start interviewing, and start writing,” Davey explains.
She has already produced about a dozen releases on organizations, students, and events that have been posted on the front page and Campus News section of the Lafayette website and will be considered for upcoming articles in its Alumni News and the Lafayette Magazine publications.
After facing difficulties the first week with getting in touch with story contacts and meeting deadlines, Davey realized that the internship would prepare her for the kinds of situations she would encounter in the professional world of public relations — something she wouldn’t be able to learn in the classroom, she says.
“I’m seeing myself improve on both ends of the process,” says Davey. “I’ve learned that when it comes to contacting people, persistence really pays off. With each story, I gain more confidence not only in my interviewing ability, but also in my writing.”
Block meets with Davey every week to discuss her new assignments and how to improve her submitted work.
“I have already learned so much from working with David,” she says. “He is extremely helpful, patient, and knowledgeable. I truly admire and respect his abilities as an editor and a teacher. Every little thing he corrects, every piece of advice he gives, makes perfect sense. I am positive that I will leave this internship a more qualified and professional writer.”
“I have not a single regret about choosing Lafayette College for my undergraduate education,” adds Davey. “My professors and classes have been exceptional, but I’m also thankful for the learning that I’ve received outside the classroom. This internship is just another reason why I will graduate in May being truly prepared for what the ‘real world’ throws my way.”
As for her post-graduate plans, Davey is still undecided, but hopes to continue in the public relations field.
Davey was valedictorian at Mattituck High School, N.Y., and has since moved to Wading River. She traveled to London in January last year to participate in a special internship program. Davey took classes in a “Marketing, Communications, and PR” track and also spent ten weeks working as an intern for Club 21, UK Ltd., the head retail office for Armani in the United Kingdom.
During her first three years at Lafayette, Davey was a member of the women’s rugby club, and she also spent a semester working as a Writing Assistant. She is a member of Delta Gamma national sorority and participates in a number of intramural sports.