Who to Reach Out To?

Currently a rising soph looking to intern in a smaller PE firm next summer (something like fund size 0.5-2.5bn). I've been reaching out to alumni at various firms, but a lot of them tend to be ASOs or VPs—the chats are still very helpful and productive, of course, but they typically don't have too much power. Would it be better to email partners/founders even if they're not alumni? Also, my current tactic has been to establish contact now and ask about internship opportunities in a month or so in an "update email," but I know that won't work once we get to October/November; at the same time, I worry about straight up asking for a job in my first-ever interaction with someone. Should I stop beating around the bush?