LCI Blog: An internship in San Francisco

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By Valeria Prencipe, public relations intern at LCI
meAbout four months ago, I started an amazing internship in San Francisco and unfortunately my last day is just around the corner. Thanks to my aunt, Alessandra Malvermi and uncle, Matteo Prencipe, who own Sound PR, a PRGN affiliate in Milan, I was able to have a meaningful experience at Landis Communications, Inc.
Being an intern gives you the chance to see how the world really works. I’ve learned more in the past four months than three years of college! That’s not because I received a poor education, but because having an internship allows you to apply the lessons you learn in school.
Thinking about my experience, what I have learned, what I have accomplished, how many new friends I have met and my two new American uncles brings tears to my eyes! I want just to let you know why it’s important to do an internship – especially in San Francisco!

  • San Francisco: CRAZY! I think this is the most appropriate word for this amazing city. San Francisco is completely fun and safe. I know that San Francisco isn’t the American prototype but here people are friendly and open-minded. Nobody judges you for the way you are and might even appreciate you more if you are different. Don’t worry if you see a naked man, keep in mind: this is San Francisco and anything can happen!
  • Team work: Here at Landis Communications, Inc. I have really come to understand the meaning of these words. You can’t complete all of your work without a great team looking over your shoulder. There are some moments that you feel overwhelmed and someone of your staff sticks up to help you. That is a team!
  • Challenge: Before coming here, I had the general PR knowledge but I didn’t know what it meant exactly to work in PR. Having an internship at a PR agency is challenging, but even more so at Landis Communications. I don’t deny that sometimes it is stressful and there are some crazy days that you are working so hard that you don’t realize that is time to go home, but this work is challenging. You can test yourself and it’s such a great feeling when you accomplish your achievements. So far, my achievements include: securing coverage, mastering the phone system and creating a master editorial calendar.
  • Don’t make any plans: Another thing I learned about PR is that it is hard to make a concrete project list because there are always new projects flowing in.
  • Take advantage of your opportunity: This internship was my big opportunity to come to the United States. Not many people are so lucky to have an American internship. I will admit that making the decision to come here wasn’t so simple. I have my family and my friends in Milan and moving to another continent more than 9500 km away is no joke. Coming here was the best decision I have ever made. If you receive a job offer or an invitation from a friend/relative/PRGN contact to have an internship abroad, take it!

I am sure that this internship has changed me in a good way and I will leave a piece of my heart here in San Francisco. I am hoping to return in the future to take it back.
If you’d like to share your thoughts about internships or living internationally, please leave a comment below or contact me at [email protected].

12 thoughts on “LCI Blog: An internship in San Francisco”

  1. Valeria —
    So glad you had such a wonderful experience. You were working with two of the smartest, kindest guys in the business, which counts for a lot. Thank you for being such a curious and gracious visitor to our country. It is so good to see the PRGN bridges between our agencies being used so much.
    Good luck to you!

    1. We’re blushing! Thank you, Anne, for your kind words. From the two guys in the business who apparently have put one over on everybody else! 🙂 I am so grateful to the Public Relations Global Network for these kinds of exchanges. Besides referring business to one another, our network creates true collaborations – and friendships – in a multitude of new ways. Cheers, David

    2. Thanks Anne! I know, I was very lucky and this experience will change my life. I have to be grateful to your amazing Global Network.

  2. Valeria – as one of your two “new” American uncles, all I can say is “thank you.” What a beautiful remembrance. You have brought so much to Landis Communications Inc. over the past 4 months. You have opened our eyes to a different way of seeing the world and we hope we’ve done the same for you. And, you’ve taught me how to make pasta pasticciata! Delicious! I thank our PR network, the Public Relations Global Network, and especially your aunt and uncle (and our Italian PR partners) Matteo Prencipe and Alessandra Malvermi for this opportunity for all of us. We will miss you, but we will now always have another friend in Italy – and you will always have many friends (and will leave your heart) in San Francisco. Cheers, David

    1. Thank you David! I don’t know how to thank you, Sean and the team for this great experience. You gave me more than a standard internship. I am honored to have worked at LCI! Thanks! Come to visit us whenever you want!

  4. Your American experience has indeed been a full one of living and working in a fast-changing city. It has been fun having you around Valeria and I’ve learned a lot from you too. I know you’ll always cherish your time here and I know we will too!

  5. It was a pleasure to meet and interact with Valeria, she is clearly a well-rounded thoughtful soon-to-be PR pro, who obviously learned from one of the best! Congrats David . . . and Sean.

  6. This is a perfect example of how we, in the PRGN, not only exchange knowledge and business, but also resources, experiences, culture, and much more.
    Valeria couldn’t have had better mentors than David and Sean.

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