Angela and friend.
Angela Keane is junior strategic communications major who was given the amazing and glamorous opportunity of being selected as an intern for the Miss Universe Organization. The Miss Universe Organization is the parent company that handles the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions. She is interning this spring in New York City to get ready for the Miss USA competition that will take place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this summer. During her internship she gets to work with all three titleholders and go to many different events. This is a little bit about her experience thus far:
Tell me a little about the internship:
I am a public relations intern for the Miss Universe Organization. Because the public relations department is only made up of my boss, Jackie, and two interns we get a lot of work and experience. I get to monitor the media and press clippings for the MUO brand, manage the social media accounts for the three main titleholders (Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA), travel manage the titleholders at events, facilitate press opportunities and pitch to potential sponsors.
How did you hear about it?
The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism offers exclusive internships to students every year. The Miss Universe Organization is a part of that category because our president is an Ohio University alumnus. When they announced this internship, I applied immediately!
What was the interview process like?
It wasn’t what I was expecting at all! It was very relaxed and casual. Jackie interviewed me for about 15 minutes. We talked about my previous internships and my experiences I listed on my resume. I prepared so much for it but she didn’t ask me a single generic question!
What do you hope to accomplish through this internship?
I hope to create contacts here and gain more public relations experience through this global brand. It’s great to get so much experience on such a large scale. I really want to get into the entertainment industry after I finish college. This is the perfect start for me.
What were you most nervous about prior to starting this internship?
I was nervous about moving to New York City. It was an unfamiliar place to me and I couldn’t see myself living here. I had never even visited NYC before I moved here. I was also nervous to be completely alone and not surrounded by my friends. It was a weird transition but I’ve gained a lot of independence and matured since living here.
What are you most excited about during this internship?
The fact that I get to work with a global brand! It’s such an awesome feeling when I post something to the titleholder social media accounts and that post get 40,000 likes and can reach millions of people.
What is your most memorable experience so far?
We get to go to some great events! It’s hard to choose. At the beginning of my internship, I attended the Vietnamese Opera Ball with Miss Teen USA along with the other public relations intern, Meg Omecene. I walked into the Waldorf Astoria and everything was so grand. It was like I stepped into a scene of Gossip Girl. At the ball, the debutantes performed a dance, famous opera singers performed, a live band played while the attendees were waltzing on the dance floor. It was an extravagant night and a once in a lifetime experience.
I also attended a New York Knicks basketball game with Miss USA Nia Sanchez. We had floor seats and got to eat dinner in the owner’s suite during halftime. We even met Tyrese Gibson from the Fast and Furious movies.
How long is this internship?
The internship is about six months long. During that time, we will go on location for the Miss USA pageant. We will be in Baton Rouge for about two weeks before the pageant airs on NBC. Make sure you tune in on July 12!
What is it like living in NYC?
It’s crazy, but so fun! This is my first time being in New York City so I got thrown into the craziness of the Big Apple. I had to adjust quickly to the city life, which is very different from Athens. It was weird to take the subway everywhere but you get used to it. I live right by Madison Square Garden and close to Times Square so so many people constantly surround me. But I absolutely love living here; there are so many things to experience. Meg and I are always trying to get those Jimmy Fallon tickets; it hasn’t happened yet but hopefully luck will be in our favor next time!
What is your opinion about pageants since starting this internship?
Before this internship, I never really knew anything about pageants. Working at this organization and seeing the titleholders in action, really gave me perspective about the pageant life. Pageants instill confidence and empower young women. Skills they develop through pageantry are ones of value that can be applied in everyday life. Pageant women are more than just pretty. They are women who hope to advance their careers, humanitarian goals and who want to improve the lives of others.
What is the best advice you could give someone who wanted to apply for this?
Stand out! When you initially apply, make sure everything looks professional and clean. Always try to relate any of your experiences with anything that you are applying for. If you make it to the interview process, the best advice I can give is to be yourself and be confident in what’ve you done.
What do you plant to do after you complete this internship?
I wish this internship would never end because it truly is a rewarding experience. But I plan on coming back to Ohio University in the fall to finish out my senior year! After graduation, I hope to move back to this great city and find I job that I love. I’m sure it will be a challenge to find something that tops this experience.
If you are interested in following the rest of Angela’s journey or checking out what all she has been up to, follow her on Instagram at @angela_keanee. Or follow the current Miss USA’s Instagram at @missusa. Also don’t forget to tune into the 2015 Miss USA competition taking place on Sunday, July 12 at 8/7c!
Sara and friend.
Senior Sara Dixon, strategic communication major and marketing minor, is being whisked into her inevitable future—starting September 1st, she will be interning for The Miss Universe Organization. Dixon admits that she is putting her career on hold, so that she can gain invaluable experience working with such a prestigious organization. In order to prepare, she will be working at an outlet mall and saving up all summer for her whirlwind internship in Manhattan (and beyond!).
Dixon has known about this internship for roughly four years. Her freshman year of college, an alumni told her how much she enjoyed the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) and since then, it had “always been in the back of her mind.” During her time with MUO, Dixon will be managing the MUO social media accounts, creating media lists, editing contestant bios, assisting in coordination of press opportunities and interview requests, assisting in writing press releases, assisting in the coordination in press junkets, reviewing and approving media credentials, and participating in brainstorming for the company.
As interesting as this internship is, Dixon still wants to explore her options, career wise. “I think I would like to live in Columbus or Cincinnati when I’m older, but we’ll see.”
Though this internship, Dixon would like to gain the “experience needed to start my career. I’m really excited to be part of the grown up world.”
The world of beauty pageants has been under strict scrutiny, but Dixon isn’t worried. “Well, I’m a blonde, so I’ve been judged my whole life. But, this pageant is an amazing platform for women to change the world.”
Even with taking on such a huge city and an important internship, she isn’t nervous. “The location of the competition for Miss Universe has not yet been decided. From what I understand it probably won’t be in the United States, and I will know when that time comes, so I have my sheer willpower and passport ready. I guess I’m a very spontaneous person, so when someone says I need you to be in a certain country during a certain time frame, it sounds a little bit like a CIA mission, and I’m ready for it!”