Milton Hershey School Spartan Internship Program: Symyra Byrd

Featuring Symyra Byrd, Spartan Internship—Communications

The 2021 summer Spartan Internship program included 11 rising seniors working with Hershey entity partners and Milton Hershey School departments to gain real-world experience in their desired career path. During the four-week experience, students learned employable skills like time management, teamwork, organization, and earned a summer wage.

Symyra worked with the communications departments at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R) and Milton Hershey School.

Symyra’s Q&A:

What made you interested in participating in this internship program at MHS?

I love working with people. Every activity that I was involved in was centered around communication. While I admire the MHS students who know exactly what they want to do after graduation, I am not one of them. The best way to see if you like something is to experience it. So, I applied for an internship with the hopes of learning how to become a better communicator.

What was it like being a student intern with HE&R and MHS? What were the differences between your mornings and your afternoons?

It was an amazing opportunity to be an intern with both HE&R and MHS. I loved the behind-the-scenes action of communications and it was so cool to see how both organizations run differently. In the mornings, I had the opportunity to dive deep into user generated content and so many other cool projects. In the afternoons, I experienced each pocket of the MHS communications department. The adults mentoring me were all welcoming, kind, organized, and passionate about their work.

Are there any projects that you worked on that are unforgettable?

My favorite project included writing blog posts for HE&R’s website. They published three of my blogs and I cannot express how thankful I am for this experience and everything that I have learned.

What was your biggest takeaway from your summer internship experience?

I learned so much from my internship experience but the most important thing I learned was about balance. Every person I talked to made me realize how important it is to do something I am passionate about. This opportunity truly expanded my perspective on just how intricate and complex the art of communication is.

Symyra Byrd and Jessica Paholsky on a video shoot during Symyra’s Spartan Internship.

“We enjoyed having Symyra as part of our team this summer as she learned about all aspects of communications. She was intuitive and thorough in her work and truly gained an appreciation for the importance of communication and writing in everything that we do,” said Jessica Paholsky, MHS Visual Marketing Coordinator.

As a Spartan intern with the MHS communications department, Symyra Byrd spearheaded the 2021 Spartan Internship blog series and assisted the team in collecting interviews of MHS students and staff as well as HE&R professionals.