We recently connected with Stephanie and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear a story from back when you were an intern or apprentice. What’s a memorable story you can share with us?

Undergraduate internships absolutely shaped my career trajectory! My first major internship was during my junior year in college at Dancie Ware Perugini Public Relations (DPWPR), Houston’s leading boutique PR firm. Their downtown office was incredible – I’d explore the underground tunnels and grab a coffee before clocking in. This experience immersed me in a little bit of everything – from local live TV segments where I helped craft talking points, to content creation and social media management, and press materials for clients like grocery giant H-E-B, then-Mayor Sylvester Turner’s office, and Tillman Fertitta’s diverse businesses, including restaurants, hotels, and malls.

As my internship neared its end, I began applying elsewhere, just in case. Serendipitously, I stumbled upon the most obscure job listing that, for some reason, instantly piqued my interest. After a phone interview and a security clearance, the role was finally revealed: managing social media for NASA astronauts… while they were in space!

Going to work at NASA Johnson Space Center truly felt like going to Disneyland every single day. My job was to pretend to be an astronaut, capturing the voice of the corpse and communicating agency objectives. I’ll never forget posting my first viral video just two weeks in: an astronaut eating pudding in space! It was picked up by the Daily Mail and countless other pop media outlets. The astronaut himself called me at the end of my first week, hamming it up because, one: it was Friday and he was free to float around and have some pre-scheduled fun with his crewmates, and two: he knew it was my first phone call from space and he wanted to make it memorable for me. He welcomed me to the team and told me about a cool video he wanted to shoot for dessert, asking if I could edit and post it. I was so stoked I could’ve exploded, but, you know, I had to play it cool.

If I wasn’t getting emails and phone calls from space, I was following astronauts on the ground as they trained for missions or shared their recent experiences after returning to Earth. It was an incredible fit. After graduation, they hired me full-time, and I continued in that role for several years, honing my craft in ghost-writing for social media, video production, and media relations. I even had the privilege of mentoring several interns at NASA, and later in my career at Dr. Pimple Popper’s office. Not to mention all the other relationships formed with people I met along the way.

The early career mentorship and exposure I gained through those internships were foundational. They set me up for long-term success, and I fall back on those invaluable learnings daily. This experience continues to inform my own leadership style in my PR company, En Pointe Public Relations, which is heavily inspired by the perfection and profound impact of that first internship experience at DPWPR.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My specialty is in communications for public figures and celebrities. My specialty is in communications for public figures and celebrities, and through En Pointe PR, I provide comprehensive PR services, social media strategy, and event management. I’m passionate about elevating brands with grace and precision. We empower creative, ethical, and inspiring brands in industries such as health and wellness, performing arts, female entrepreneurship, and sustainability to connect with their audiences through impactful storytelling, strategic partnerships, and engaging campaigns.

Any advice for managing a team?

What drives me is a deep passion for mentorship and leadership. My early career mentors were instrumental in laying my professional foundation, teaching me to navigate and excel in the corporate world by building and maintaining strong relationships. Their impact was profound, and it instilled in me a desire to pay that forward.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My advice to anyone is always to follow your instincts! I started college as a geology major, convinced that was my path. But after shadowing a professional geologist, I realized that analyzing maps for 40 hours a week wasn’t for me. While the core interest in understanding Earth and planetary systems wasn’t far off, my love for writing and storytelling was a stronger pull. Changing my major to Public Relations was a natural and intuitive choice. Serendipitously, that geology minor later served me incredibly well for my NASA internship, which turned out to be a perfect blend of science and public communications. I’m so glad I listened to my gut! If I hadn’t followed that instinct to change my major, neither of those formative internship experiences would have happened.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.enpointepr.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enpointepr?igsh=MW1uNGkyZzZ6cHdjdw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/en-pointe-public-relations/

Image Credits

Credit: NASA (flight operations facility photo)
Credit: Meredith Murray (blue flight suit photos)
Credit: Angelica Duong (black outfit sitting photo)