Victoria Hendzel
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Graduation Year: May 2016
Major: Advertising
Hometown: Naperville, Illinois
Campus Activities
- American Advertising Federation at Illinois
- National Student Advertising Competition
- Media University Intern
- Student Academic Council
- Team Enterprises Promoter
Hobbies: Marathons, yoga, eating, traveling, and day dreaming
Internship: Derrick Cape Town - Junior Account Executive Intern
What were your duties?
- My day-to-day varied, with attending client pitches, being a part of brainstorming sessions, going on photo-shoots, and making spreadsheets and informational power points
- Trained as a client/agency liaison on specific jobs for 4 different clients
- Conducted pre-campaign research in the sparkling wine market, used to strategize the re-branding of a client
- Managed a wide variety of client/agency affairs with the V&A Waterfront, developing their new Wellness brand, managing promotions, and helping plan the Volvo Ocean Race, which attracted thousands of people
- Created in-depth profiles of 6 African countries using qualitative and quantitative data, and developed key insights which were used to secure new intercontinental business
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
Being able to experience an ad agency through multiple roles, allowing me to learn where I best fit in the industry.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
Culture differences; Working in a different country has it challenges because it is hard to advertise to a culture you don't fully understand at first. This was also one of my favorite aspects because it forced me to immerse myself in the culture, rather than experiencing it from a tourist's perspective.
How did your experience at Illinois and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
Classes I had taken before my internship like ADV 283 and ADV 284 prepared me with basic skills that I constantly leaned on in my internship like producing brand audits, and pulling insights from overwhelming amounts of information. Overall, these classes gave me the confidence to produce quality work and attack assignments with the right approach.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
This internship has given me real agency experience that has helped me find my true place in the industry, which is strategy. It has prepared me with a realistic expectation of what my life will be like after graduation, and it has given me the skills to stand out among others in the future.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
Interning abroad was an unforgettable and completely unique experiences I had, and I would highly recommend it to freshman and sophomores who still do not meet the requirements for most advertising internships. Programs like the one I did are offered all over the world, and they are a great opportunity to travel and gain relevant experience in your desired field. You can learn more about these opportunities by checking out Illinois Study Abroad.
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