PowerSpot: Emily Pitts

After high school I attended Hudson Valley Community College for two years where I studied Communications. I then transferred to Liberty University where I’m studying Strategic Communication with a focus in Social Media Management and a minor in Graphic Design. I was first interested in Plug Power because of their mission, but also because it was a great opportunity to get experience in business-to-business marketing since most of my classes at school focus on business-to-customer marketing.

I interned for just over two months. I began the first day of June and went through the first week of August.

This summer I’ve gotten to do a lot of fun projects, such as writing newsletter stories, creating website graphics, and even participating in the launch of the new Plug Power website. But my favorite project had to be designing the company holiday card. (Of course, you’ll all have to wait a few months to see that.)

Usually I start my day with breakfast while I check my emails and look at my schedule for the day. I’ll typically have one Zoom meeting a day, and I’m usually working on two projects at once. I start my day off with the more challenging work and then once I feel like I’m in a good place with that I move on to the lighter stuff. One of the perks of working remotely is that on nice days, I can take my laptop outside and do my work on my patio!

I’ve learned a lot about business-to-business marketing which was something I didn’t know very much about at the start of my time at Plug Power. Not only am I walking away with new marketing knowledge and skills, but I also have learned a lot about hydrogen and fuel cell technology, which isn’t something a lot of Communications students can say, so that’s pretty cool!

The main challenge that I faced was working remotely – and during a global pandemic. While it does have its perks, I’m an extrovert and prefer face-to-face communication. Another thing that was a learning experience for me was writing about topics that I’m not super familiar with, but I learned a lot from that!

I would just say to look for any opportunity to learn something new and to get out of your comfort zone. I’m a firm believer that if you’re comfortable you aren’t growing.

After I graduate, I hope to either return to New York or possibly stay in Virginia for a few years. Thankfully, my degree is very versatile so there are a lot of possibilities. Two things that really interest me are brand design and small business, so I’d love to explore both of those areas. I also plan to get a dog as soon as possible!