- Graduation Year: May 2014
- Major: Advertising
- Minor: Communication
- Hometown: Downers Grove, IL
- Hobbies: Hanging out with friends, finding new music, working out, traveling, Netflix, exploring Chicago, consuming media
Campus Activities
- Kappa Delta sorority
- Red Bull Student Brand Manager
- Student Ambassdor for multiple brands
- American Advertising Federation
- The Black Sheep UIUC marketing team
Internship | Promotions Intern at Illinois Lottery / Northstar Lottery Group LLC
Duties
As a Promotions Intern, I assisted the Promotions team in concepting, organizing, activating and recapping successful brand building promotions throughout the summer. I worked directly with the internal Promotions team as well as in conjunction with the Promotional Agency of Record to fulfill all responsibilities. Sometimes I oversaw event activation and execution over the Chicagoland area, including demonstrating, promoting, educating and sampling to consumers. I also provided constant insight and suggestions to continue enhancing on-site consumer engagements and promotional practices. Additionally, I managed the summer long event calendar & updated the marketing team on upcoming events and strategies.
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
Working with the experiential marketing agency is what I enjoyed the most about my internship. Not only did I get to work directly from the client side, but I frequently got to go into the agency office and see how things worked from their side. I learned a lot about the client-agency relationship and had fun during the process!
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
There were many times over the summer when the other Promotions intern and I worked on site at the promotions. This required some traveling and long hours – but ultimately these were great experiences. We got to be present at huge Chicago events like Blues Fest and the Taste of Chicago.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
My time at Illinois has led me to become a more outgoing person as well as a better communicator. My internship utilized these skills considering promotions require a lot of time with consumers and being able to talk to various people. The College of Media and more specifically my advertising classes prepared me for the time in the office when I got to use my strategic abilities and creativity.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
I got a firsthand look into the world of experiential marketing and this kind of work is definitely something I would enjoy pursuing. This internship exemplified that I do not have to go into advertising just because I am an advertising major.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
My first recommendation to students would be to apply to everything and anything! Many internships are competitive and highly selective so it is not always an easygoing process. Keep your options open; after all it is only a 3-month period that is supposed to be a learning experience.
Secondly, make connections. Try to stay in touch with people, add them on LinkedIn, etc. because that connection may be meaningful in the future.