Internship Corner- Samantha Scribner

This week's internship blog comes from Chapter President Samantha Scribner, who served as the External Affairs Intern with Cabot Oil & Gas:

At the beginning of my summer internship with Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pa., I outlined exactly what I hoped to gain from my summer internship there. Reflecting on that experience, I’m pleased to say that of those goals and ideals, I had the opportunity and great fortune to meet and exceed each one. 

One of the first sentences I spoke to my would-be internship supervisors during my interview was that I knew little about Marcellus Shale and natural gas drilling. After three months with Cabot, I feel like I could write a book about the amazing stuff that has been under my feet all this time. Though I’m far from an expert, I’ve both learned and witnessed first-hand more than just the fundamentals of Cabot’s operations. 

My first trip to Susquehanna County, Pa., (about five hours north east of Waynesburg) afforded me a custom rig tour from Cabot’s experts; I could have written an entire blog post about the sheer excitement of seeing a rig for the first time and learning the different parts. 

As an External Affairs Intern I had the unique experience of learning about water recycling, air quality, land reclamation and much more right alongside Cabot’s blog readers and Twitter followers. Not only did I learn about Cabot’s hand in Marcellus shale development and extraction, but I also learned about and have become an unofficial advocate of natural gas as a clean fuel alternative. I closely follow anti-fracing groups and spokespeople and have to laugh sometimes.

Surely every fossil fuel and energy source will bring challenges, but I’ve seen and read enough to know that natural gas is the nation’s best hope for sustainable, affordable and perhaps most importantly, domestic, energy.  It took no persuasion from Cabot or any industry group for me to learn this truth; it only took an open mind and research of pure, scientific facts.  

Not only did I wish for an enhanced knowledge of the oil and gas industry, but also for a quality public relations experience. As a public relations major soon to graduate from Waynesburg University, I found my internship to be of the utmost value to my career ambitions. My supervisors provided me with autonomy and trust in all of my duties, and under their direction I grew to understand and practice multiple aspects of public relations. 

From helping to plan an incredibly successful event with more than 7,000 attendees to blogging and tweeting daily from a corporate account, I’ve learned the impact that community outreach can have on a company and on the people that company serves. I also had the rare internship opportunity to present my work to the CFO of a large company and to work with external contractors to bring a project to fruition. 

Much to my delight, I even learned to decode some of the industry’s acronyms and jargons and how to communicate and spell them for the daily blog posts I wrote for Cabot. At the end of the summer, I found myself truly excited to return to Waynesburg University, located in Greene County, Pa. (which is experiencing its own Marcellus shale boom) and join the conversation about natural gas and hydraulic fracturing. 

I advise anyone looking for an internship to consider not only what you hope to gain from an internship but also what you can bring to the table. Find your niche and pursue it. Doing so will make you more marketable and more well versed in the field of your choice. I also encourage prospective interns to go above and beyond – which, though cliché, makes a world of difference in any professional setting.