internship spotlight
Tiffany Dillon
Graduation
May 2016
Major
Advertising
Minor: Spanish
Hometown: Northwestern suburbs of Chicago
Campus Activities: Member of Alpha Chi Omega, previously a marketing intern at WPGU 107.1, previously a member of the American Advertising Federation (the Pangea multicultural committee), and current member of UIUC's Women of Color.
Hobbies: Yoga, art, and Netflix.
Twitter: N/A
LinkedIn
Employer
Mcgarrybowen Advertising Agency
Internship Title
MAIP Associate Creative Copywriter
What were your duties?
I collaborated with my creative team to brainstorm and generate engaging, yet strategic solutions for clients such as Crayola, Chase, and Verizon
I attended seminars lead by employees to heighten my skills in topics ranging from group ideation processes to strategy development
I worked with my intern team to develop and present a creative strategy for a Mcgarrybowen client which would bring about social change.
I was also a MAIP intern (multicultural advertising intern program). So I attended seminars, talks, and networking events regarding advertising and/or multiculturalism that the program put on. This organization also gave me the opportunity to work with a team of other MAIPers to help develop a campaign for Nike's new line of basketball clothing for women.
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
I really enjoyed the relationships I built with other interns and coworkers. I loved working on creative projects with my team and it made it all the more exciting when I was able to do it with people I really enjoyed spending time with. We always had so much fun brainstorming ideas together and I believe that it was this collaboration that helped us stay successful.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
The most difficult aspect of the internship was overcoming periods of serious writer's block. I loved working as a creative, but getting the ideation process going was sometimes very difficult. Coming up with strategies for how to get around these blocks was a creative process in and of itself. I had to learn how to best stimulate my creative thinking and tap into the part of my mind sometimes refused to show itself.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
One of the biggest things I learned at U of I was how to deal with ambiguity. It sounds small, but this was huge in getting me as far as I did at McGarry. I learned quickly that, outside of school, no one is going to tell you exactly how to succeed. There's no set formula for how to do well and few people will take the time to help lead you there. I really had to make sure I was being proactive. This sometimes meant doing tasks that weren't directly assigned to me or sometimes going out and setting up meetings with professionals at my agency who I really admired - just to learn from them. It's all about keeping busy and making sure you're on top of things.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
There's truly nothing like going out into the world and getting first hand experience in the career you're thinking of pursuing. School can do a lot for you, but internships do so much for helping prepare you for the real world. You quickly learn a lot about yourself, how you work, how you work with others, and how you can use your strengths (and maybe even weaknesses?) to your benefit. It's important to know yourself... and you can't always get that in school. It takes pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and trying new experiences to learn this sort of stuff. This learning process was huge for me and I know I will use these lessons long after I graduate.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
Do not wait for anything to come to you. Whether it's during the application process or on the job itself - see opportunities for yourself and make things happen. No one will hand anything to you and it's so important that you see this because, when you do, you learn just how far you can go when you push yourself. There definitely are people out there who will help you, but you won't really find them or other opportunities that will push you to your goals until you go out and look. (And all of that may sound scary, but it's actually really fun. Someone told me once it's best to treat yourself like your own mini company (Tiffany Inc.) Know your brand, its strengths and weaknesses, who you work best with, what you enjoy, treat other companies fairly. and good things will definitely come back to you!)
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