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Profile
of Kerri Carmean, Intern, Red Cross Southwestern PA Chapter, 7/07
by Casey Buxton, PPW/Writing Center Publicity Intern
 Kerri
Carmean is an English major, Studio Arts minor, and a PPW senior
who wanted to explore the culture of the nonprofit world, so the
Red Cross caught her attention as an organization that has a great
working relationship with the PPW Program. After employing a proactive
approach to securing the internship, Kerri believes that her supervisor
was impressed by her eagerness to join the organization.
Kerri quickly fit in as the marketing/communications intern. Never
forgetting to ask questions along the way, she worked independently
as well as on a team throughout the summer. She gained valuable
experience writing press releases and gathering marketing survey
data.
The list of her responsibilities as the intern is long and varied.
Some of the highlights include media relations during times of disaster;
production of promotional material including print, audio and video;
representing the Red Cross at community events; photography; research;
and administrative support.
Kerri was surprised by how much she enjoyed one of her main responsibilities:
data analysis. She described it as representing data graphically
and textually in ways that would highlight its significance. Her
projects in data analysis helped the marketing department assess
the effectiveness of their current marketing strategies and develop
new ways to improve upon them. “I think what I like about
the analysis process is that I can learn essentially the history
of an entire project in a day,” Kerri explains, “and
come up with new ideas and strategies.”
While Kerri loved the welcoming nature of the Red Cross, she wishes
she could have gained some field experience. She found the internship
completely worthwhile, despite having to juggle a full-time job
as a waitress, two summer classes, and her Red Cross internship.
She feels comfortable graduating with this internship under her
belt and has loved the taste of the nonprofit workplace.
Kerri’s advice to interns: Be open to anything--people love
it when you’re eager to learn new things.
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