News and Insights
Learning by Doing
July 31, 2025
FINN Education’s 2025 Summer Interns
“Education powers the world—and the PR industry. FINN is proud to invest in the rising talent of the future through our many internship programs. We believe the best way to learn is through hands-on experience, mentoring, and opportunities to explore. Our practices recruit incredible talent from universities across the globe. This National Interns Day, we’re proud to share the experiences and insights of the four summer interns with our Education Practice, all of whom bring diverse perspectives, strong work ethics, and thoughtful ideas to our team. The PR industry’s future is in capable hands.” – Kate Johnson, Partner
Milly Asherov
Rising senior, Human Services and Social Justice
George Washington University, Washington DC
Hometown: Providence, RI
Why FINN?
I have a background in advocating for equity in education–I even served as a non-voting member on the board of the Rhode Island Department of Education—so FINN’s Education Practice was a great fit for me. I quickly discovered how highlighting the voices of people who contribute to education via media relations aligns with my ideals and goals.
What professional skills did you develop through your internship?
My work as an intern has strengthened my storytelling skills. Now, I don’t just summarize; I strategically analyze articles to connect concepts and apply content to client priorities. I see how a skill like this is useful, because I can zero in on news that’s relevant to clients, and communicate why it’s relevant to them succinctly.
How do you feel your internship prepares you for your future, and what do you want to do more of?
FINN has taught me so much about the field of PR, all while giving me the support I needed to take risks and learn by doing. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone and learned how to craft stories to amplify voices that otherwise might go unheard. I want to keep telling these important stories. My goal for this internship was to explore career paths I hadn’t previously considered. Now, I feel more confident in my ability to try new and unexpected things.
What are you most proud of accomplishing while at FINN?
My time at FINN taught me how to be a resourceful problem solver in a fast-paced, global environment. Pitching to outlets around the globe meant I had to navigate different time zones, media contacts, and communication styles. I am most proud of my ability to execute on short deadlines while not losing the quality of the work.
FINN’s Education Practice serves the full continuum of education. What issue have you taken the most interest in or been surprised to learn more about?
I’ve been most interested in tracking the developing use of AI in classrooms. As part of my responsibilities, I have kept a close eye on what is circulating in the media and it has given me a greater sense of the ongoing debates around appropriate AI use in schools and different implications of technology.
Hannah Holycross
Rising senior, Journalism
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Hometown: South Lyon, MI
Why FINN?
I wanted to intern in a fast-paced agency setting but also work with clients whose aim is to make the world a better place. Across this practice are clients who try to make education more accessible and affordable. Plus, FINN’s Education Practice is so knowledgeable and experienced; I’ve learned a ton from their well-rounded perspective.
What professional skills did you develop through your internship?
This internship has definitely allowed me to dive head first into the world of media relations. Across my different accounts, I have been able to do everything—I’ve crafted pitches and media lists, created social media content, drafted client-facing memos, and even interacted with journalists. I’ve also learned about working with multiple clients at once and how to balance and prioritize a variety of tasks.
How do you feel your internship prepares you for your future, and what do you want to do more of?
Because this internship has allowed me to work across a wide variety of clients, I have been able to explore many different avenues of media relations and client work, and this will set me up well to be adaptable to whatever I pursue in the future. With my journalism degree I hope to be able to use my writing and storytelling skills more within this field, whether that be through internal or client work.
What are you most proud of accomplishing while at FINN?
I have learned that patience and creativity are both critical in this field. You need the creativity to come up with countless new ideas when you’re pitching and doing media outreach. You also need patience, because you’ll endure obstacles that are often out of your control and some projects span long periods of time—not overnight.
I’m proud that I have been able to use my experience as a student reporter on my campus newspaper to connect the work our clients do to current events or previous coverage. I feel like I have been good at putting myself in the shoes of the reporter to really personalize my pitches and media outreach.
What was the most surprising aspect of working on education PR and communications?
I’ve been shocked by just how many “hooks” you have to throw out to get a “bite” when pitching. With a busy news cycle and shrinking newsrooms, it can be difficult to get media interest for your pitches, so we curate lengthy media lists for outreach. On top of that, I’ve found that more personalized pitches face better success, so pitching often takes longer and requires more brainstorming than I previously thought.
FINN’s Education Practice serves the full continuum of education. What issue have you taken the most interest in or been surprised to learn more about?
One thing that has always been important to me is equal access to education. No one should have to sacrifice their pursuit of knowledge and education due to financial worry.
I’ve always been aware that there are various barriers when it comes to receiving quality education, but thanks to my internship, I now have a deeper understanding about how crucial so many education programs are–that free and reduced lunch or high-quality afterschool programs are actually proven ways to help level the playing field for all Americans.
Timothy “TC” Stephens
B.A., Political Science and Philosophy
Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Hometown: Olney, MD
Why FINN?
I was drawn to FINN’s mission-based approach to PR and communications. I wanted to join the Education Practice because it is such a complex sector. It plays a pivotal role in shaping the future, and I knew that supporting initiatives dedicated to the many challenges education is facing these days would be rewarding.
What professional skills did you develop through your internship?
This internship taught me to own my ideas and be confident in my work. Every member of FINN’s Education Practice is committed to the growth of the interns, and our input and interests are valued. We’re supported in preparing client and reporter communications, and I was empowered to to actually engage with the work that full-time employees do. I’ve handled scheduling with clients and staffing calls, and owned relationships with reporters.
How do you feel your internship prepares you for your future, and what do you want to do more of?
I was able to work closely with three accounts and interacted directly with clients. These are key experiences that prepare me for when I start my first full-time role. While projects were still assigned to me, I also learned that there are always new opportunities to be pursued in media relations when you take the initiative to seek them out.
What are you most proud of accomplishing while at FINN?
One of my goals coming into this internship was to develop my own relationships with journalists. These relationships are an important part of working in PR, and while I communicated with journalists in the past, I was never able to own a relationship as my own. At FINN, I formed a great relationship with a journalist, coordinated potential coverage with him for over a month, and ultimately landed national coverage for one of our clients.
What was the most surprising aspect of working on education PR and communications?
Interning with FINN’s Education Practice showed me the essential role education plays in shaping the future of every sector. My work throughout this internship could not be more varied. I worked with creatives behind major TV shows, healthcare leaders executing pathway programs for high schoolers, and professors altering leadership models to be better equipped for the future. Using PR and comms to amplify these positive initiatives in a generally negative news cycle was very valuable.
How was working in the field different from your coursework?
The everyday tasks of PR are definitely different from my coursework, but the base of all communications work is writing skills. Since I pursued a degree in political science and philosophy, my biggest challenge is to adjust the academic formality and density of my writing to a more communications-friendly style.
FINN’s Education Practice serves the full continuum of education. What issue have you taken the most interest in or been surprised to learn more about?
It has been really interesting to learn about the different career and technical education (CTE) programs going on throughout the country. I never participated in any programs like this, and seeing the opportunities they present for young students has opened my mind about what education can look like. I had the opportunity to participate in several meetings with leaders and students in different CTE programs in healthcare, and their stories about how the programs have transformed both the lives of the students and the healthcare organizations were very inspiring.
Kailyn Lowe
Rising senior, Communications and Public Relations
Howard University, Washington, DC
Hometown: Queens, NY
Why FINN?
FINN’s Education Practice offered me a perfect opportunity to explore the intersection of my advocacy work for quality education access and education reform, and my ambitions to pursue a career in communications and PR.
What professional skills did you develop through your internship?
One of the most valuable skills I’ve developed during this internship is how to understand and adapt to different brand voices. Despite working with clients within the same industry, I’ve learned to tailor messaging to their individual needs, identity, tone and audience. As I continue my career, these skills will be essential to generating measurable results and meeting client goals.
How do you feel your internship prepares you for your future, and what do you want to do more of?
As my first agency experience, this internship has strengthened my ability to navigate fast-paced environments. I’ve juggled multiple clients, overlapping deadlines and shifting priorities, and it has helped me to become a more organized, adaptable, and strategic communicator. I’ve learned to manage my time effectively while producing quality work for a variety of projects. As I continue this internship, I’m excited to take on even more responsibility across client accounts.
How was working in the field different from your coursework?
Despite having a focus on PR, much of my coursework emphasized writing, research and campaign creation, with less emphasis in hands-on media relations. This internship has provided me with a multitude of techniques and tricks to build media lists and write compelling pitches in a real-world setting.
FINN’s Education Practice serves the full continuum of education. What issue have you taken the most interest in or been surprised to learn more about?
My interest in the political and sociological aspects of education has grown significantly. A consistent task I share with my fellow interns involves compiling daily news clips to be sent to colleagues across the agency. This responsibility not only keeps me engaged with current affairs but also helps me connect overarching themes to our clients efforts.