by Camryn Daniels, former Eiteljorg marketing and communications intern

“Kismet” is the only way I can describe the first steps into my career. As a journalism major with a concentration in public relations and a certificate in museum studies, I knew I wanted to work at the cross-section of museums and public relations. Before I could even worry about how niche that was and how difficult it would be to find an internship opening that fulfilled that want, I got an email from my faculty advisor about a fall 2021 internship opening at the Eiteljorg Museum. So of course, I applied. Unfortunately, I did not get it, but that left me with time to take more public relations courses and study abroad in Italy, a country whose heartbeat is museums.

When the Eiteljorg reached out to implore me to apply for the marketing internship again in 2022, I did so swiftly and was elated to accept the position for spring semester of 2023. As excited as I was to find exactly what I was looking for in an internship, I was terrified. Terrified to start my first internship, terrified to begin my final semester of college, terrified I didn’t truly know what business casual was. However, it didn’t take me long at all to feel comfortable at the museum. My internship supervisor, public relations manager Bryan Corbin, organized orientation meetings with a staff member from every department of the museum, so I got to know my Eiteljorg colleagues quickly.

During my time at the Eiteljorg, I expanded my portfolio with professional writing, blog stories, and social media content. I was able to write several news releases, allowing me to become more confident in my public relations writing skills. The blogs I wrote gave me the opportunity to speak with interesting people, such as poet and author Dr. Elise Paschen (Osage Nation), the spring artist in residence, as well as our Eiteljorg employees, who all serve important roles at the museum. I expressed my creativity while creating social media content and taking photographs around the building for the museum’s promotional efforts. Just as importantly, at the Eiteljorg I was able to learn more about Native American peoples, cultures, art and history. The diversity of Indigenous cultures and the way their stories can be told through art is beautiful, and I’m lucky to have been surrounded by it for six months.

The culmination of this, alongside drafting e-newsletters and attending events, has set me up for success in a way I could have never imagined one year ago. I feel prepared to start my first post-graduation, full-time job that is also, amazingly, at the niche intersection of public relations and museums. I will be working in communications at another art museum in my hometown of St. Louis.

My time as the spring/summer intern at the Eiteljorg was an extremely well-rounded experience that I could not recommend enough, especially to the soon-to-be graduates of the journalism department at IUPUI. Thank you to IUPUI career services director Emily Turnier for initially sending me this opportunity, to Bryan Corbin for remembering me and encouraging me to reapply, and to the entire marketing department – director of marketing and communications Bert Beiswanger, Bryan, digital marketing specialist Brooke Sullivan, and former digital marketing manager Dani Vasquez – for making me feel so welcome and treating me with kindness and respect.

Lastly, thank you to the beautiful Eiteljorg Museum for officially making me a “museum person.” I am grateful that our paths crossed, but there was no way we could have missed each other. Like I said, it was kismet.

Camryn Daniels, a recent graduate of IUPUI who majored in journalism, was an intern in the Eiteljorg Museum’s marketing and communications department during spring semester 2023 and early summer.