Lauren Kimak
Graduation Year: May 2016
Major: Advertising
Minor: Communication
HometownPalatine
Campus Activities
American Advertising Federation, National Student Advertising Competition, Midnight Oil, On The House, Hoop Group, and hopefully intramural softball next semester.
Hobbies
Pizza lover, hula hoop practitioner, softball player, craft beer maker, music pioneer, health/fitness nut, Criminal Minds junkie.
Internship: Copywriter at GlynnDevins
What were your duties?
I worked alongside creative team, participated in concepting sessions, and performed a variety of copywriting tasks for many of our +/-150 clients. The intern team and I collaborated to help the Ronald McDonald House's Camp Chimer with their advertising, marketing, and coming up with a strategic communication plan. I was also involved in the brainstorming behind the 2015 Leading Age conference in Boston.
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
I loved the people, I loved being included in campaigns, I loved AAF-Kansas City, I loved the independence they allowed me on projects, and I loved the skills I picked up on the way.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
The most difficult part of the internship was any situation when there was a lack of communication, and also the clashing of ideas between creative and client service.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
Since most professors are agency alumni, they have very thorough insights of what to expect of the ad world, and also provide life-like advertising campaigns and projects in class that helped prepared me for projects I've dealt with during this internship. I also had the opportunity to tour agencies throughout California and Chicago prior to my internship through a class and AAF which was eye-opening.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
From this internship I've gained valuable skills such as pro-activity, assertiveness, networking fluidity and the ability to be ready to tackle anything and everything that will get dropped on my desk - because that happens a lot. I now have real agency experience under my belt, have real client work, understand agency functions and got the chance to sharpen my creative writing skills, so I feel confident that I could strive in any agency setting.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
Don't wait for assignments; seek them out and do a great job on them (it will get you noticed). Don't be timid; the employees are people, too. Relax and get to know them - after all, that's how relationships are formed.
Network by going to the local AAF events or the work parties (the bigger network the better) and get to know the interns who you may run into later in your career. Lastly, don't ask for more than you can handle. Yes, it looks good to ask for work but not when you can't meet deadlines or do a thorough job.