Where Are They Now?

Wondering what life is like after Bravo? Well while some of our previous Bravo interns never left, others have gone on to further their career in new and exciting places.

Meet Lauren Bowers, who interned at Bravo Group during the Fall of 2011 and Minette Wilson, who interned during the Fall of 2012. With everything they gained from their experience at Bravo they went off to find the next chapter in their lives.

Minette Wilson

What has Minette been up to since leaving Bravo Group?

Minette is the definition of a multitasker! Minette is working toward a Master’s Degree from Shippensburg University in Public Administration. While completing her degree, she’s also working as the Graduate Assistant for social media. She manages the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts for the University. And during her spare time she’s working on defining education and communication policies in social media for the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). “Social media just tends to stick to me, but that’s ok,” Minette mentioned.

What has Minette taken away from her internship at Bravo Group?

“Each person I worked with set me up with opportunities to develop different skills that have turned out to be really useful.” Minette explained that even small things like attention to detail have helped define her work ethic for the future.

Best piece of advice to offer current and future intern?

 “Look for the lesson in everything.” Don’t be quick to ask, “Why am I doing this?” “Am I smart enough to do this?” or “What am I going to get out of this?” See the value in everything whether it be a new way to sharpen a pencil or how to present information better.

Minette has one more year of graduate school before finishing her degree. She plans to do one or two more internships while finishing at Shippensburg. Afterwards, she plans to move to the Northern Virginia/D.C. area. She is keeping her mind open to what kind of career she’s working toward. “If there’s something I want to do that’s in reason, I’m just going to get up and go do it!”

Lauren Bowers

What has Lauren been up to since leaving Bravo Group?

After finishing her internship at Bravo, Lauren took a Junior Associate position with La Torre Communications. In less than a year, she was asked to become the Interim Press Secretary for Dauphin County. Earlier this month, Lauren accepted an offer for the Marketing Communications Coordinator position at Gavin Advertising.

Favorite memory while interning at Bravo Group:

“I was traveling to Punxsutawney, PA to attend a two-day metal and tractor fair to try and get people to sign a petition that would require smoke alarms in all homes and apartments. Upon arriving (alone) I realized I was completely out of my element. Trying to educate people (mostly farmers and hunters) about Carbon Monoxide poisoning was a challenge. A huge storm ended up hitting both days, which turned the field where I set up my booth into a big mud pit. My car got stuck, my posters were ruined and I barely had cell phone reception (what could be worse, right?). Luckily, the nice guy who was selling his handmade wooden rocking horses next to me helped get my car out, and also offered me hot chocolate and shelter under his tent. Being out there those two days taught me how to better communicate with people from all walks of life. That trip also improved my PR pitching and advertising skills.”

What has Lauren taken away from her internship at Bravo Group?

 Lauren loved working at Bravo Group. Why? Because they don’t baby you! “They throw you into situations and it’s sink or swim – INTERNS NEED THAT.” After leaving Bravo, Lauren was able to take away experiences in event planning, government relations and lobbying. Not to mention everything she learned about time management. “Megan Dapp did an incredible job with helping me manage my workload while making sure not to micro-manage everything.”

Best piece of advice to offer current and future interns:

NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK! Every job she’s been offered whether it be an internship or full-time employment she obtained through networking. “I met Brad Cary at a job fair while I was in college and started at Bravo the following summer. When I finished at Bravo Group, I was having lunch with an old co-worker from the Capitol and while out to lunch with her, Dave La Torre stopped in and she introduced us – I started there the following week.

While at La Torre I came in contact with my current boss (Mandy at Gavin Advertising) and she had expressed interest in hiring me, but the timing wasn’t right, so we stayed in touch. Later, Dave introduced me to the folks at the County and because they needed help, I started there. As fate would have it, Mandy contacted me a few months later and the rest is history.”

Minette and Lauren both made great contributions to Bravo and took away lessons that will help them succeed wherever the future takes them.

Want to learn more about other previous interns? Stayed tuned for more “Where are they now?” postings!

Mischief managed,

Jill