Hawkeye Reporter

Coe College issued the following announcement on July 21.

Kailey Blunk '22 is a go-getter. As a first-year student, she planned her four years at Coe College in seven hours and now is leveraging her talent to get the most out of summer. The communication studies and public relations double major, with double minors in creative writing and gender studies, fills the little free time she has with any opportunity to write. 

Kailey is the resource development and marketing intern for Waypoint this summer. With senior year just around the corner, Kailey was looking for an internship opportunity to fit her gender studies focus while also doubling as public relations experience to fit her busy schedule. 

“I wanted it to be a memorable experience, and I wanted to be interested in the work they do. I have always been interested in nonprofits, specifically about gender and sexuality. I learned about Waypoint and what they do for domestic and assault victims from a conversation with a professor my sophomore year. They have always been in my mind after that, and I wanted to pursue an internship with them,” she said.  

At Coe, she is the director of communications for Mortar Board; director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Alpha Omicron Pi-Alpha Theta; a consultant for the Writing Center and an assistant in the Marketing Office. Her poetry submissions to Coe’s literary and art magazine The Pearl ranked first place and are published in the latest edition of the journal. 

The talented writer decided to pitch a mental health awareness month article for the Waypoint blog. The article made such an impression it was published on the website, social media and shifted her internship responsibilities to include writing articles for the Kidspoint Child Care blog. 

“A lot of what I have done [at Waypoint] has been my own pursuit. I took my own initiative, and now I’m working on a list of blog post ideas I brainstormed. They are encouraging me to write as much as I can. This has helped me figure out what I want to do after graduation. I’m interested in a career in nonprofit marketing,” she said. “Waypoint actually invited me to a social media webinar for nonprofit marketing professionals. I will also be able to attend the post-webinar talk to network with professionals.”

Kailey balances her academic, employment and internship commitments all while writing poetry when inspiration strikes. It’s a busy schedule, but Kailey has no regrets. She found her vocation and hopes to continue gaining nonprofit marketing experience with internship or volunteer opportunities. 

Luckily, Kohawks have C3: Creativity, Careers, Community that provides access to thousands of connections and opportunities in Cedar Rapids and around the world. The Princeton Review ranks Coe as the nation’s No.10 Best Private School for Internships. Kailey believes finding the perfect internship experience is all about having an open mind. 

“Don’t limit yourself,” she said. 

Original source can be found here.

Source: Coe College