If the PR industry wants to be more inclusive, it must pay its interns

When I began college a few years ago, I learned to expect that I wouldn’t get offered a paid internship until right before or after I graduated. And that was only if I was lucky.

Everyone around me talked about unpaid internships like they were the norm, like there wasn’t really another option. For the most part, all of the adults around me thought the same thing. So, when I was offered an unpaid internship the summer after my freshman year, I quickly accepted. Although it was an incredible learning opportunity that I am so thankful to have gotten so early on, it will never compare to the internships I have had since where I have been compensated for my time and work.

The debate surrounding unpaid internships isn’t new, and it’s not going away anytime soon. But the conversation is evolving. The push for paid internships is no longer just about addressing exploitative business practices; it’s about the exclusion of underprivileged students from the candidate pool.