Public Relations student excels in City of Austin internship
It’s the first day in his new internship at the City of Austin Communications and Public Information Office, and Alan McQuinn is recapping the highlights from the previous week’s city council meeting when he learns that a police officer has been shot in the leg in an armed robbery downtown.
Within minutes, McQuinn finds himself on the scene with the chief of police helping the city of Austin’s marketing director write a press release for the city council and the city manager.
McQuinn’s educational background helped prepare him to act quickly and efficiently in such a pressing situation. A double major in public relations and political communications, a TexasMedia sequence student and a minor in Mandarin Chinese, his wide range of study has helped him learn to communicate with a wide range of audiences in a short amount of time.
“Public relations has taught me how to say things and deal with crisis management,” McQuinn says. “Political communication has taught me how to structure, argue, pitch and motivate people when I speak. The media sequence has given me a different approach to problem solving.”
McQuinn excels at person-to-person presentations and bringing charisma to any room. But according to Lisa Dobias, the founder and director of TexasMedia, those aren’t his only strengths.
“He is exceptionally well-spoken and mature beyond his years,” Dobias says. “He has a fantastic sense of humor and a wit about him that makes others smile, even under stressful conditions.”
Even still, landing his internship was all but easy. McQuinn was interviewed by a panel of four of his future bosses, given behavioral scenario questions to test his on-spot reaction process and was asked to write a press release within 30 minutes.
It’s no secret that getting the job or internship is only half the battle. The true challenge comes as you dive head-first into the work. McQuinn must be doing something right because he was recently asked to take on an extra 10 hours a week to help fill the recently-opened position of public information specialist.
“I now deal with all of the advance media requests,” McQuinn says. “ For example, if someone calls with a really contentious issue, I run it up the chain to people as high as the city manager.”
When he’s not dealing with pressing issues, McQuinn handles media calls, puts out press releases, rounds up information for city council meetings and keeps track of all things cool in Austin--which included pitching the Rachel Maddow Show during SXSW.
As for the future, McQuinn hopes to pursue a career in government PR. He has applied for the Archer Program in Washington D.C. but is also in third-round interviews with several major companies.
McQuinn’s big post-graduation plans surely would come as no surprise to Dobias.
“He’s not only a risk taker, but also a skilled navigator of the unknown,” she says. “He is known for his bright smile and bow ties. He seems to have one for every important occasion, including one decked out with Bevo!”
No matter what McQuinn chooses to pursue upon graduation, at least one thing is certain: his bright smile and awesome bow ties will be ready to go with him.