Introducing Our Spring 2026 Interns
This spring, Cultivate welcomes two seniors from the University of Vermont who bring unique strengths, creativity, and passion to the team.
Emma Zwycewicz and Kate Lewton join us as they explore their interests in marketing, communications, and storytelling, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them on board. Both are eager to dive into projects that connect creativity with strategy, blend academic learning with hands-on experience, and grow their skills in a fast-paced, collaborative PR environment.
Read on to learn more about Emma and Kate!
Emma Zwycewicz
Meet Emma Zwycewicz, a senior at the University of Vermont studying Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing & Sustainability, and a minor in Applied Design. This spring, she is thrilled to join the team at Cultivate for her final semester, where she will leverage her strengths in marketing, communications, and graphic design to explore the PR field.
Emma serves as the Vice President of the Women in Business organization at UVM and as a Teaching Assistant for the Professional Development Series courses. Outside of the business school, Emma also serves as a graphic design and data visualization specialist for UVM’s Housing & Dining Services and as a Marketing Intern for the Vermont Brewers Association.
In her free time, Emma enjoys attending concerts, spending time outdoors, and playing sports. Her favorite winter activity is skiing, and her favorite summer activity is hiking. She values spending quality time with her friends, family, and dog Milo. Her favorite ways to decompress consist of reading, watching TV shows, and listening to music and podcasts.
Q&A with Emma
Q: What are you most looking forward to working on at Cultivate?
“I’m most excited to build client relationships and gain hands-on experience with client campaigns and storytelling across various platforms. I’m especially looking forward to helping craft press materials, social content, and event-driven communications, and to seeing how strategy, creativity, and relationship-building come together in the PR setting.
Q: How would you describe Cultivate in a few words?
“I would describe Cultivate as collaborative, creative, and community-driven. Although I just started, I have already noticed the incredible amounts of creativity from the team and how passionate they are to work together to create good.”
Q: What are you hoping to learn during your internship in the PR industry?
“I am hoping to deepen my understanding of how strong PR strategies are built and sustained, starting from the ground up. I’m excited to learn how to align brand voice and messaging across channels to create meaningful and authentic stories for clients.”
Q: What advice would you give to someone first starting out an internship?
“My advice would be to be curious and proactive. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, introduce yourself, and take initiative on projects or tasks that interest you. I have found that some of the best learning experiences come from trying, listening, and being open to feedback.”
Kate Lewton
Kate Lewton is a senior at the University of Vermont, majoring in Film and Television Studies with minors in Public Communications & Reporting and Documentary Storytelling. She is excited to join Cultivate to delve into public relations and bring her passion for storytelling to a new role.
At UVM, Kate has taken a unique journey to understand her career interests, and storytelling has been the common thread. She was a Biology major, but realized that wanting to chat with new patients each day wasn’t a strong enough motivation for medical school. Since then, she has realized she can apply her passion for creating and sharing narratives across Comms/Marketing/PR. It isn’t just crafting stories that she loves, but getting others excited about them.
Kate is from Stowe, VT, and grew up skiing down Mount Mansfield. She credits living in a tourist town for her love of meeting new people and talking to strangers. She loves getting back home and getting some fresh air. Her favorite season is summer, although she is, of course, partial to winter.
She is excited to join Cultivate because it is her first official experience in public relations and will give her a chance to learn new skills and apply her existing skills. She is excited to sit in on client meetings, improve her technical writing skills, and learn about the PR strategy.
Q&A with Kate
What are you most excited about for this internship?
“I’m most excited about learning the basics of Public Relations and getting to understand and practice my new skills in a real-life setting. I have not necessarily taken classes that delve into PR, so I am excited to build on what I already know and fill in the gaps with impactful mentors. I am also looking forward to getting to know everyone on the Cultvate team and love the fact that it is women-run.”
Why did you want to intern at Cultivate?
“What drew me to Cultvate was, first, the fact that it is a local Burlington firm that has many local clients. I grew up in a small town in Vermont, so it is important to me to support local businesses whenever possible. During my interview, I was also drawn to the atmosphere at Cultivate. Abbey and Alex were incredibly welcoming and excited to get to know a student and help shape their professional journey.”
What do you hope to learn about PR?
“I am hoping to grow my skills all around so I can graduate this May feeling confident to pursue a career in the Comms/PR field. I am excited to practice writing press releases, connect with outlets, and learn about different clients.”
What would you say to someone who is considering doing an internship?
“Though I just started at Cultivate, I can already tell that I am going to have a wonderful experience. Alex and Abbey really want to help us learn and I know I will take these tools with me after the internship. I have also done other internships during my college career and I would say that regardless of what your interests are, getting any type of hands-on experience helps you figure out what you like and your passions.”