Christen McCluney – Public Relations ’04

To complete her Newhouse Master’s degree in Public Relations, Christen McCluney spent the summer of 2004 at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

But she wasn’t just plugging away on a computer. Instead, McCluney helped plan and implement the Smithsonian FolkLife Festival, held on the National Mall every July and typically attracting more than one million visitors each year. The two-week long event features musicians, dancers, chefs and craftsmen from all around the world, creating an appealing cornucopia of folk-inspired experiences for the nation’s diverse public.

“I was in charge of putting out the press releases and making pitches,” said McCluney, 25. “That opened up a lot of opportunities for me.”

Indeed, once her capstone experience was completed, McCluney was offered a job with the American Red Cross of Central Maryland, where she worked in communications for a year and a half.

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