By: Rhy Wiethe
“Mountaineers go first.”
I cannot count how many times I heard this saying during my freshman year. From it being featured in a WVU recruitment TV ad to hearing it said by every professor in class, this is practically a school-wide slogan. But what does it really mean, and what do we students have to show for it?
To me, “going first” means taking advantage of opportunities and using them to excel to the best of my ability. So, what’s a better way to do that than by taking Eric Minor’s advice?
At the end of my first semester, Mr. Minor connected me with someone from my area who would change my life. This woman is Joelle Moray. Joelle, who has completed the Reed College’s IMC master’s program, is a well-awarded strategic communicator that has worked in many different areas of the media field. She currently works for American Electric Power, more specifically for Appalachian Power out of Wheeling, W. Va. We met for coffee over Christmas break where I learned more about career opportunities and Joelle’s personal career journey. I was so excited after we met that I started searching for summer internships and public relations opportunities later that month.
In January I applied for a summer leadership internship program through an organization called the Community Foundation for the Upper Ohio Valley. This competitive program chooses the top applicants of all different fields of study and pairs each one with a host company based on their major. The best part: the Community Foundation pays every intern so that the host doesn’t have to carry that burden!
When I was accepted into the program, I was ecstatic. I was excited to find out who my host would be and gain valuable experience I can use through my schooling and career. Remember when I mentioned that Eric Minor connected me to an accomplished strategic communicator in my area? Well, I was shocked to find out that the host they had chosen for me was none other than Joelle Moray with Appalachian Power!
I started my internship in June, and I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I showed up at the Wheeling Service Center on my first day with anticipation, and my experience was most definitely everything I could’ve wanted. Throughout my six weeks with AEP, I had the opportunity to write six stories that were published on the company’s internal blog, AEPNow. Because I love to write, I enjoyed the variety of different stories I had to opportunity to tell. I got to meet and interview inspiring individuals, and best of all, I had fun doing it!
While I was interning for Appalachian Power in Wheeling, there were also two other interns in Charleston, W.Va. and Roanoke, Va. who were interning in public relations just like me! AEP headquarters in Columbus, Ohio invited us to come tour headquarters and meet more people in our field who work for AEP. I was thrilled! On the day of our visit, we toured AEP’s brand-new social media center. It looked just like every FBI headquarters in the movies with all of the top technology! We also had the opportunity to network and speak with Dale Heydlauff, the Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for the entirety of AEP! Wow, I still can’t believe I met a top executive like him! Having the ability to network within a fortune 500 company has truly motivated me to take advantage of my opportunities in order to build my dream career and lifestyle.
My favorite part of my experience was the amount of community outreach I got to be a part of. Joelle’s job involves handling external affairs which means we attended a plethora of meetings and special events. In doing this, I got to meet and mingle with the professional elite of Wheeling. For me, this part was special because it allowed me to know others on a personal level, and it let me be involved in different causes and events that I value in my personal life.
I am so grateful to Joelle, the Community Foundation, Eric Minor, and everyone else who has inspired and motivated me to seek out opportunities such as this phenomenal internship program. I can honestly say that I have learned not only about strategic communications, but how to carry myself as a confident young professional in the daunting job market. I always knew that education was crucial in today’s world, but now I have truly realized that being educated in the thing that you love will bring you the most success and happiness. I am thoroughly excited to bring my new knowledge and perspectives into my sophomore year at the Reed College in order to be the best and most professional version of myself. And most important of all, I have a full understanding of what it means to be a mountaineer that goes first. Let’s go.