Somehow answering the dreaded “What are you going to do after college?” question with “Well, I love to write,” doesn’t always translate to the beginning of a success story to those I share it with. During my four years at Providence College surrounded by mainly business oriented friends and classmates with a plethora of internship and job opportunities available to them, I forced myself to constantly remember the quote, “Do what you love and success will follow.”

You can imagine the confusion at our Memorial Day barbecue in 2014, then, when I shared that I would be interning at an accounting firm for the summer. After asserting that I had definitely not switched my major to accounting, I saw the same confused faces start to surface. I grew to really hate telling people my summer plans.

“Writing? For an accounting firm? What’s the relationship there?”

Before interning at KLR, I had little knowledge of the immediate connection between marketing and writing. I came into the position of “Journalist/Marketing Intern” mostly grateful for the opportunity to get my foot in the business door, figuring that was a solid option for an English major not interested in teaching or library sciences. Little did I know how much my writing would improve during my time here, and how much I would learn about professionalism, time management, and innovation.

New Challenges

So I was faced with a challenge my first few days at KLR-How would I fit my knowledge into the greater success of the Marketing Department, and to the wider success of KLR as a whole? Furthermore, how would this success translate to fulfillment and success for me, personally? My classes at PC taught me how to dissect a line of Shakespeare, not how to read an IRS document.

Within the first few weeks of my internship, it was clear that working at KLR would have a lasting impact on me, and would challenge me to escape my comfort zone and grow as a person and as a writer. From the very beginning of my journey here, my team has always taken the time to look for projects that are imaginative and personal to satisfy my love of creative writing, and also challenging assignments that have improved my research skills and have increased my overall knowledge in the field of business.

By no means am I an expert in the field of writing, but I can affirm that it is my strength. KLR is a team of people with differing strengths, which is an important aspect of the company’s success, and any company’s success for that matter. KLR added an English major to their marketing team, not a marketing or communications major, which speaks to KLR’s culture and forward thinking.

Facing My Fears

At first, the knowledge that my success here was grounded in my ability to market KLR’s accounting expertise was a scary thought. Eleanor Roosevelt once said:

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do,”

and I can confidently say that plunging into the business world is one of the smartest things I could have ever done in life. KLR will continue to challenge me as I grow into my position and I am excited to dive head first into the wide range of opportunities this firm will present to me. The professional team I am surrounded by reminds me that happiness is grounded in many ways by your ability to follow through, be a team player, think outside the box, and most importantly to never surrender to your fears.

Learn more about joining our team.