Katerina "Kat" Pappas
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Graduation Year:May 2016
Major: Advertising with a Business minor
Hometown: Northbrook, Illinois
Campus Activities:
- WPGU-Social Media Director
- AAF-member
- Gamma Phi Beta Sorority
- Intramural Soccer Team
Hobbies: Photography, traveling, cooking, reading
Internship: Account Management Intern - FCB Chicago
What were your duties?
My duties varied daily but in a nutshell every intern has their intern projects as well as assisting teams with daily tasks and client projects. My two main projects involved researching, planning and developing a deck for our client to invest in a new target audience. The other was to create a digital resource toolkit of all the resources available at FCB for the every account team to use. I was lucky enough to be on two account teams! I contributed to competitive analysis reporting and the creation of a social media playbook. I explored consumer/industry trends and provided thoughts and recommendations to my team. I also was the winner of an intern challenge for which resulted in winning Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoff tickets in our company suite along with senior agency leadership and clients. Finally I created this "Intern Survival Guide" with my other interns that was a interactive website with helpful tips and an "Advertising buzzword dictionary" to better prepare the next year's intern class.
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
That’s hard! Above all else I would say the people I worked with. Both my account teams and our intern HR recruiter were so incredibly helpful but also pushed me to do my best work. They were so approachable, kept me laughing even when i was stressed and always allowed me to ask those "intern" questions. My intern class was great too--they really made my days better and I still talk to them! Even everyone at the agency I met, including our CEO was always so friendly and great--overall the people made the internship the best!
What was the most difficult aspect of your internship?
I would say making sure I was taking advantage of all my resources. You may think 10 weeks is a long time but it flew by. I was always making sure I would use all the tools or even reach out to people and wanted to make sure I was getting the most out of it. Another difficult aspect was the transition from college student life to the "real world." Learned a lot about time management as well as made sure I delivered my sharpest work.
How did your experience at Illinois and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
It helped so much! The classes alone really gave me an advantage coming in and knowing a great deal about the industry itself. And as my professors always emphasize the importance of networking was something I definitely did within the agency. I also think the design of course projects and group work helped too and the high standards our teachers hold us to kept me constantly pushing myself.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
It has prepared me in ways I never thought possible. I learned to have more confidence, sharper presentation skills, a network of people as well as a skill set and experience that I am excited to build on as I begin my career. And I am excited to say I will be returning to FCB full-time after I graduate!
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
The more experience you have the better competitive advantage you will have. In the applying process, it's a numbers game. The more you apply, the more experience you will have interviewing and a higher chance of landing one. And when you do land one; show your passion, network, stay curious and do your absolute best work! We are in a unique position coming into it with a fresh, young perspective, so don't be afraid to add input or your thoughts--be confident!
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