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Rebecca Vaughan (Class of 2010)
Rebecca Vaughan thrives as a communications intern
My boss warned me that in communications, you end up doing all sorts of things you never thought would be part of the job. She was right -- aside from my writing duties, by the end of my internship I'd swung a hammer (in a skirt and heels,) helped organize two barbecues, and worked with a giant mascot. It was all part of working as a communications intern at the City of Pitt Meadows. Perhaps the most relevant experience I gained was when we organized the official opening of the Pitt Meadows Spirit Square. The day before the event, the communications team sat down and went over the details. I was forewarned that things didn't always go as planned, and that we would likely have to deal with last-minute emergencies. The day arrived and we eyed the cloudy skies as we set up community group booths and tents for the various activities. Local students arrived to help blow up hundreds of helium balloons for an enormous balloon arch, which we painstakingly tied together and arranged over the podium. We set out chairs for the high school band and for all the attending dignitaries. Buses of schoolchildren began to arrive, and people were milling about, joining in the crafts and activities offered at the tables under the tents. As the beginning of the event neared, I made sure to carefully place the mayor's speaking notes on the podium so that as emcee, he could follow the order of events. Then, as I was giving instructions to the Legion representatives and the RCMP on where to stand after raising the flags, I spotted a giant black cloud speeding our way. It didn't look good. Suddenly, as a member of the local First Nation band was about to open the ceremony with a traditional blessing, the sky decided to unleash its fury. Within minutes, rain poured down and the wind whipped through wildly. Children and adults ran screaming in all directions while the mayor called for everyone to run to the recreation centre for shelter. I ducked under the podium tent, where our once carefully placed chairs now were in disarray. As the rain pelted the square, waterlogged people huddled together under the tents. Then I looked up to see the balloon arch, half-deflated and wrapped several times around a tree. It looked so comical that my co-worker and I doubled over, laughing. Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. The sun came out as if nothing had happened. We regrouped and the ceremony went off without a hitch, minus the mayor's notes, which had blown away from the podium. He had to improvise, but fortunately in the excitement, no one seemed to notice. It was a wild day, one that left me exhausted. But it was the day I knew that communications, with its unpredictability and ever-changing tasks, offered the career I wanted.Read more about the author.
Posted April 2010
