An Experience of A Lifetime

This week we asked one of our PCS Communication Interns, senior Kristina Bender, to write a reflection on her time as an intern with us. Here’s what she had to say!

                                                 (Kristina, being her usual self)

“I remember my first mass ever at St. Tom’s. I was a freshman and it was the Sunday before BGR started. I had just gotten everything unpacked in my new “really awesome” dorm room. I had googled “catholic churches” near Purdue University, found St. Tom’s and quickly darted off (in what I hoped was the right direction) to 11am mass! I remember sitting in the back of the church thinking to myself, “How am I going to leave my mark at Purdue University?”

Last spring PCS decided to offer intern positions, specifically 2 in Communication for students interested in helping to advertise and bring new fresh advertising ideas to PCS. I was hesitant to apply at first; I can only do so many things at one time. Something inside of my reminded me of my first mass at St. Tom’s and I began to think, “This is how I am going to leave my mark at Purdue University,” and so I applied.

I have had the honor of working with awesome advisors and phenomenal leaders over my past year and a half of being an intern. I have had the opportunity to work with all different kinds of people at St. Tom’s from students, staff and resident parishioners. I’ve also had the opportunity to show campus just who and what PCS is.

Working with PCS as a communications intern was very rewarding for me because it was my chance to give back. To give back to St. Tom’s which helped me grow so much in my faith life when I needed it most, a way to give back to the Purdue community which has been my home for the past 4 years and a way to give back to all the people who do wonderful things at St. Tom’s.

I highly encourage anyone who is interested in interning with PCS either as a Communications Intern or as a Social Concerns intern to do it. Apply for the position, take a chance to change your life, to give back to a church that is your home and to realize the potential opportunities that lie ahead of you.

As for what the future holds after my internship with PCS is over, I have no idea but I will take with me all that I have learned from my peers and the professionals at St. Thomas Aquinas. The relationships I have formed and the opportunities I have had are once in a lifetime.”

Thank you St. Tom’s & Purdue Catholic Students!

Kristina 🙂