Welcome to our 5 Things I Learned blog series, where UNH students from all colleges and majors share the UNH experience that changed everything for them and what they learned from it. From studying abroad and summer internships to research and leadership in student organizations, follow along to see what you can learn by stepping out of your comfort zone and saying "yes" to that new opportunity on our campus.
Today, Maeve walks you through the experience of interning for UNH Alumni Relations and preparing for a career in event planning. Along the way, Maeve found independence in communicating clearly with vendors and perseverance to work long event days.
Maeve Joyce '24
As an event planning intern with the Alumni Relations department at UNH, I learned multiple skills and lessons about event management and how to be a competent employee. This internship was a great learning experience that has prepared me for a future career in event planning. Here are five things I learned.
1. How to coordinate among different departments
Working with others is an important skill to master in any workplace. For a philanthropic event I helped plan on campus, I communicated with multiple departments at UNH concerning event permits, a safety inspection, signage edits and approvals, placing signage around campus and renting tables and chairs. I learned how important it is to communicate early on in the event planning process with everyone who is involved, as certain tasks need to be completed before moving forward. Everyone was extremely helpful, and we all worked together to create a great event on campus!
The Elliott Alumni Center, where I interned with Alumni Relations.
2. How to communicate with vendors
I did not have prior experience communicating with vendors, so this was an important skill I wanted to learn when starting my internship, as event planners need to know how to successfully coordinate with and hire vendors. At the beginning of my internship, my supervisor helped me craft emails to florists and food vendors to request their services for a networking dinner and a philanthropic event. I learned how to professionally communicate with these vendors, such as how to ask for pricing details and how to request they fill out forms and permits. I eventually felt comfortable emailing and calling vendors on my own.
3. The importance of asking questions
My supervisor advised that I should always ask questions to clarify and to learn as much as I can when beginning a new job. I asked a multitude of questions during my internship because I wanted to ensure I understood everything being asked of me, so that I could complete each task correctly. I was also interested in learning about all the details for each event I assisted with, such as the goals of the event, the theme, how we would promote it and more. Asking questions early on allowed me to complete tasks in a timely manner, and after becoming more knowledgeable, I became more confident that my work was correct.
4. How to problem-solve
During my internship, I learned how to professionally deal with conflict and issues. I learned how to stay calm and quickly brainstorm ways to resolve problems that arose. These are important skills to have as an event planner, as things can happen at any time and you need to be able to adapt and adjust in order to progress forward and complete tasks on time. I am more comfortable with problem-solving and thinking on my feet because of these experiences.
Helping with an event for Alumni Relations during my internship.
5. How to persevere through long event days
I worked multiple 10-to-12-hour days during my internship, setting up, facilitating and cleaning up for events. I am passionate about event planning, and I wanted to create a welcoming and enjoyable environment for everyone. Consequently, I persisted and worked diligently in order to create memorable experiences for attendees. Now, I am confident that I will be able to manage working long event days in my future career.
learn more about internships at UNH
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The Benefits of a Paid Summer Internship
Laura talks about how taking an internship in an industry you might not expect to work in can result in stronger communication skills and experience that translates to future internships, student organizations and jobs. read more about laura
