Jemma Wallace in big-city absorption mode. “New York felt like its own kind of education. It was my first time in the United States, so the scale and noise hit me straight away. It’s the opposite of Dunedin in almost every way.”
Communications and Marketing student Jemma Wallace is living proof that overseas internships aren’t solely the preserve of the grade-perfect student – and that a less linear academic path can yield its own experiential riches.
Jemma recently returned from an eight-week PR internship at The Brandman Agency in New York City – something she describes as “the most amazing experience ever”.
Perhaps more amazing though was the pluck she deployed to win the attention of a global communications firm on the other side of the world.
“I didn’t start on a straight path. I began studying for a Bachelor of Commerce in International Business with French and Computer Science, but my first year fell in the late stages of Covid-19 and, while I enjoyed my classes, the disruption and constant change made it challenging.
“I later switched to a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a Marketing minor and things clicked. I really wanted to go on exchange, but my grade point average wasn’t high enough.”
Undeterred, she hopped on LinkedIn and researched US-based PR/marketing agencies in the luxury lifestyle and hospitality realm and stumbled on one that took her fancy – The Brandman Agency. She connected with the agency via a sponsorship programme provider and sent them a link to a portfolio website she’d created. She thinks it was this that got her over the line.
“It was a bit eclectic, but it let me connect marketing coursework, comms writing and passion projects to real-world campaigns. My grades weren’t perfect, but the portfolio showed what I’d learned and how I apply it. In the end, what made the difference was learning to communicate clearly, build relationships, and take initiative.”
After securing the internship, Jemma still had to finish the final papers of her degree – and did so by distance, having moved to Auckland at the end of her third year.
“The distance support really mattered, as I could only take certain papers remotely and some were very new to me. Lecturers like Dr Josie Carter, Dr Giovanni Piccolo and Professor Ben Schonthal were helpful and passionate, which kept me moving outside my comfort zone.”
This comfort zone expansion prepared Jemma perfectly for her subsequent internship. During her time at The Brandman Agency she built media lists, drafted pitches, and presented a campaign on a swanky Swiss hotel to the company’s senior team.
“Hearing that they are now considering taking my idea further was surreal. It was the first time I saw classroom theory and internship work come together with real-world potential.”
When asked what her New York highlights were, Jemma says the people she encountered get top billing.
“Everyone I met was curious, generous with advice, and keen to learn and help. That energy made the city feel welcoming as well as ambitious.”
Some of Jemma’s former Communication Studies lecturers unwittingly hitched a ride to New York with her too.
“I kept linking what I was seeing back to Otago, which I honestly didn’t expect. In one of my papers – ‘Digital Media and Society’ with Dr Olivier Jutel – we’d explored the digital as more than technology and tied to capitalism, politics and power. In New York I could see those dynamics in the city’s hustle culture, in how many people move through tech and finance, and in the gig economy that literally shapes everyday life.
“I was also reminded of the ‘Communication and the City’ paper I did with Dr Brett Nicholls, where we explored the concept of the flâneur. I kept thinking of that concept and became a kind of flâneuse, walking without a fixed plan to read the city and find my rhythm. Ideas that once felt abstract became lived, and shaped how I understood the place I was in.”
Since her return, Jemma has reflected on the many ways that her tertiary studies prepared her for New York.
“What tied it all together wasn’t perfect grades, but rather Otago’s culture of respect, curiosity and community, and a student experience that leans into community contribution.”
Jemma isn’t done with the Big Apple yet. She’s already planning a follow-up trip to New York to build on that pluck-powered momentum and explore business development and brand strategy roles.
She’s keen to encourage other Otago students to back themselves and explore opportunities overseas and says her eight short internship weeks changed her in ways she didn’t expect.
“New York taught me to sit with speed and uncertainty, to ask better questions, and to trust my judgment. It made my ambitions feel real and sharpened my appreciation for the frameworks I learned at Otago. I’ve returned with a steadier confidence and a bigger appetite to learn.”
Kōrero by Claire Finlayson, Communications Adviser (Otago Business School)
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Communication Studies focuses on the social, technological, political and cultural implications of current and changing communicative practices and networks.
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