I am currently studying at the University of Warwick – I just finished my first year. I applied for the Taylor Bennett Foundation Summer Stars placement programme as it suited me well with being over the summer holidays, and I wanted to build upon my previous work experience at YoungMinds, which included tasks such as press monitoring and writing blogs. This helped me develop a deep interest in public relations and I thought Summer Stars would be the perfect opportunity to increase my understanding of the public relations and communications sector. I was very interested in the lecture week and the opportunity to intern in the PR sector and network with PR professionals, which would also enable me to develop a personal network of contacts who could provide guidance and advice in the future.

I was placed at British Airways/IAG for a 4-week work placement in their in-house comms team, where I was able to work in the BA press office, BA internal communications team and the IAG press office. Having experienced so many different teams, I gained good insight into the various roles available in communications. The opportunity to visit Iberia Airlines in Madrid was fantastic, and I'm very grateful. 

In the IAG press office, I updated the communications grid, shadowed meetings, completed research, wrote morning press summaries and carried out general admin duties. When working in the internal communications team, I shadowed meetings, edited videos, drafted newsletters and completed research on various topics. In the BA press office, I completed research on a variety of topics, created media documents for the consumer PR team and shadowed the team. The placement was well managed and varied, with lots of meaningful work to get on with.

I am really proud of the experience I gained thanks to the Summer Stars programme and I am planning to apply again next year! My placement has not only given me valuable work experience in the PR sector but also helped me to improve my communication, writing, research and time management skills, which will benefit me in both my future career and throughout my studies at university.