Graduation Year: May 2014
Major: Advertising
Minor: Communications
Hometown: Joliet, Illinois
Hobbies: Running, reading, writing
Current Activities:
Executive Vice President – Midnight OilCollege of Media student ambassadors
Past activities:
Assistant Design Editor – Illio YearbookNational Student Advertising Competition
Internship | Media Planning Intern at Mindshare
Duties
Interned on the American Family Insurance AccountCollaborated with strategy team to plan Q3 traditional media by meeting with potential vendors and partnersUtilized MediaTools to flight out media purchases and sent out insertion orders to print representativesAssisted in coordinating and planning American Family Insurance’s 2013 Seattle Dream Show- a free concert targeting a younger demographic to spread the brand’s messageIntern Project: Devised an April-August 2014 recommendation on Millennial targeted partnerships for BP Driver Reward’s program and presented to Mindshare’s Executive Team and BP Media Strategy team
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
I enjoyed meeting and networking with people from various facets of the advertising/media industry. I met with a lot of vendors and was able to establish great business and personal connections.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
One of the most difficult aspects of the internship was determining how to manage my time in the beginning of the internship. I was assigned a large intern project and multiple smaller projects from my client team. The hardest part was learning how to prioritize different tasks.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
My experience, education, and extracurricular activities at the University of Illinois helped me land my internship at Mindshare. I already understood the basis of media planning from my classes, so I already had knowledge of the media field when I began my internship. My on-campus activities allowed me to obtain leadership opportunities that helped my resume stand out and ultimately be selected for the internship.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
My internship gave me a glimpse of how working in the media industry really is. I was able to further develop my skills and have real-world experience. My internship helped me realize the exact career path I would like to pursue.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
Stay extremely organized when applying for internships and apply to a lot of internships to keep your options open. Also, make sure to fully prepare for interviews. Know everything about the company you are interviewing for and fully understand their mission statement and culture. The company wants to make sure you would be a good fit, so it’s important to understand exactly what the company represents.