Having her blog published by a public relations agency has given Merin Mentex the confidence to consider a placement year as part of her studies at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).

Encouraged by her tutor Andy Plaice, the English Language and Journalism student pursued a number of work experience opportunities this summer, successfully landing an internship at Pytchley, Northamptonshire-based agency More Fire PR.

Merin’s biggest reward for her work so far has been having a blog she researched and wrote, which explains how using Snapchat could help businesses better communicate with their audience, published on the company’s website.

The 19-year-old, originally from Kerala, a South-Indian state, said: “It’s the first blog I’ve ever written and I never expected it to be published, but I’m so happy!

“This is also the first job I’ve had and it’s been very rewarding. I’m lucky to have someone like my boss Mark to support my development and I really look up to him.”

Merin’s next project with the agency involves looking at ways of supporting local schools through marketing and social media. She is currently researching the common communication challenges facing schools and exploring ways to overcome them.

Mark Ferguson, Director of More Fire PR, said: “Merin is an absolute star, a strong writer who interprets a brief well, delivers on schedule and who was very proactive in approaching me in the first instance. Just what employers like to see.”

About to embark on her second year at DMU, Merin is now keen to explore the possibility of undertaking a sandwich year work placement.

She said: “Doing a placement wasn’t something I had considered before. I always thought I wanted to go into teaching after my degree, but I’ve really enjoyed working at More Fire PR and would like to get some more experience in that field.

“The Faculty of Technology’s Placement Team was really helpful when it came to helping me write my CV and covering letter this summer, which obviously paid off, so I look forward to chatting to them about a placement year soon.”

As someone with a passion for the English language, Merin is happy that she chose to combine it with Journalism at DMU.

“English has always excited me and I love it, but I’m really enjoying the practical side of Journalism,” she said.

“Learning how to approach strangers and ask them questions has really helped my communication skills and confidence. Also, having to write articles in an hour has been a rewarding challenge and I’ve enjoyed seeing how much I’ve improved.”

Merin describes herself as not being “in the best place” during her school years, saying: “I definitely didn’t take advantage of many opportunities at school and I found studying for my A-levels really stressful.

“I’m doing so much more at DMU though and I feel like I fit into university life better so much better. There’s more support here and I plan on grabbing every opportunity that comes my way.

“I’m already a member of the Kerala society and I’m excited to get involved with DMU Square Mile and go on as many #DMUglobal trips as I can.”