Final Internship Update!

This summer boiled down to nine weeks.  The nine weeks that I held the position of Communications Intern at Culver Academies.  Nine weeks, five days a week, eight hours a day.  It seems like an endless amount of time, but it flashed by in a hurry.  As I was packing up my desk and tying my loose ends, I looked through my documents folder and marveled at all I had accomplished.  From the first day I utilized my passion for Photoshop by creating a flyer looking for a new Assistant Soccer Coach and edited a picture portraying graduation that made the front page of the website (my first day at work!)  I brainstormed ideas for Culver’s Brand Management and pictures for the next Admissions video.  I edited the Graduation DVD and a letter going out to all new parents.  I wrote articles about the summer camp, Harkness method of teaching, and AP classes.  I went through Culver’s MASSIVE website and found pictures and Search Engine Optimization keywords and descriptions for every single page.  I researched luxury clothing brands and the possibility to collaborate with Culver for a high-end line for parents gear.  I created and updated the CGA 40^th Anniversary Facebook page to celebrate and gather excitement for my alma matter turning 40.  I wrote an orientation guide because next week my sister joins the Culver family as the winter Communications Intern (for the first time in her life, she’ll be “Mary’s sister” instead of me being “Katie’s sister,” I’m absolutely stoked).  Since Katie never went to Culver and only visited me a few times, there were certain things that Katie needs to do and witness in order to get a real Culver Experience.  The three things I am most proud of is writing business plans and presentations for a new Admissions presentation, Social Media Initiatives, and TOMS shoes to be a part of the Culver Girls Academy wardrobe.  Each exercise and task taught me something new about Culver as a school, Culver as a business, and Culver as people.  I truly enjoyed my time working within an amazing, dynamic team and hope to return “home” soon.  Even though I am a Business major, the most important lesson I learned is that Communications and Public Relations is vital to every industry and is particularly intertwined with business.

Remember to subscribe to my lovely blog, and twitter, and tumblr xoxo, mfh

Summertime Dreams

The summer as I knew it has come to an end.  I arrived home in Chicago Saturday evening after 9 weeks at my alma matter in Culver, Indiana.  My next two posts will be recaps on my summer, one of my amazing internship and one of my amazing social life.  I now have three weeks until I return to Boston to start my junior year of college at Babson College and I could not be more excited.  This three week break will afford me time to catch up on much needed sleep, TV watching, and blogging (all of which I have been seriously lacking on).  My room is a disaster area of my life at home, life at Culver, and life at Babson.  I need to get sorted out, donate a truckload to a second hand store, and figure out how I am going to fly back to Boston with two check bags... It will be a lackadaisical, recharging, and productive three weeks.

Remember to subscribe to my lovely blog, and twitter, and tumblr xoxo, mfh

Internship Update!- Social Media Proposal

You know you’ve got it good when you get paid for surfing Facebook and Twitter, but that’s exactly what I did last week.  I wrote a business proposal on how Culver can improve their social media presence.  I concluded that they are on par or better than most of the boarding schools and colleges in the US, but I did have a couple suggestions to improve.  They were mostly little things like changing the background on the Twitter profile, but some were substantial like adding a social media portal, similar to Carnegie Mellon’s.  I found an online article about the Top 100 Social Media Colleges and went from there.  I think my proposal turned out well and hope that Culver takes some of my advice!

Internship Update!

Yesterday I got the call that turned this awesome internship into an amazing, perfect-for-me one.  As a result, I spent most of my day yesterday, and will again today, online shopping and talking to sales reps.  We are putting together another proposal to expand the bookstore with a luxury fashion line.  Cutter & Buck golf wear, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Burberry filled my day yesterday.  Cashmere scarves and oxfords, all with the Culver logo on it, of course.  Today, I'm going to try to sneak into the uniform department to size up the brands and products we already sell, so I can more accurately build on it.  But one thing is for sure, this internship is the bees knees. :)

Internship Update!

Since I've only been posting my daily outfits, I thought I'd take this time and update everyone about my fabulous internship.  :)

I'm still doing a lot of grunt work, but now it's mixed in with a lot of brainstorming, social media, and I'm even writing a business proposal!  I've learnt a lot about wire frames and what goes into remodeling a website.  There's a surprising amount of thought, effort, and careful studying to decide how a page is going to be laid out.  During bouts of brainstorming, my opinion is actually solicited and valued, which wouldn't happen if I was interning at a big firm.  The second coolest part about this internship is that, since I'm working with the Communications department of my high school, they are constantly asking my opinion on things about when I was a student, and a lot about now that I am a recent alum.  The absolute coolest part, is that it's halfway through my second week and I'm already writing a business proposal which I am going to present to the deans of my school and could possibly change Culver, do a lot of good in the world, and look awesome in my portfolio.  I don't think I can talk about it yet, but if I get it approved, I will definitely tell you ALL ABOUT IT, because it's pretty flipping sweet.  Tomorrow, I get to sit in on a conference call about Culver's brand management and brainstorm on how to alter the brand and raise awareness.  I wish I had taken my Brand Management class this past semester instead of the semester coming up so I could add valuable feedback on the call tomorrow, but now at least I will be able to bring experience into my class in the fall!  All in all, I'm absolutely loving my internship!  Even the cabin and the woods and the little kids are growing on me.

Communications Internship: Week 1

After June 7, 2009, I never thought I would return to Culver, Indiana ever again.  But alas, two years exactly from the day I left Lake Max I started my new internship.  I am now officially a Communication Intern at the Culver Academies.   I was not sure what this would include exactly, but I knew I would learn a lot of valuable experience and I would have a good time.  As someone once said, “Culver is a cross between summer camp and a high security prison.”  As a student, this is absolutely true.  Except it doesn’t really feel like a summer camp in frigid January weather with the Lake effect snow and wind constantly blowing your skirt up.  However, I am not returning as a student, and thus am no longer locked into my room at 9:45 at night and not allowed to wear shorts and tank tops.  So I thought, maybe this won’t be so bad.  In fact, I was almost excited to return “home.”  Although my cabin is “rustic,” it’s actually growing on me.  It’s been very rainy, so the bugs aren’t around and it’s pretty cool to the point of cold, so it’s not that bad. 

My actual internship is very cool.  By the end of day one, my work was featured on the front page of culver.org (the PhotoShopped commencement photo).  There is some grunt work of copying and organizing every page of the website into files, but once I put my headphones in, I’m in my own little world.  I have gotten the chance to sit in on team meetings and brainstorming sessions, where my opinions and thoughts were actually listened to and valued.  Next week, my boss said we can have a meeting and talk more about social media and brainstorming.  He told me that he wants to utilize my viewpoints as a student and now as an alum.  The Communications department’s general goal is for more Culver people to be involved and in touch with the school.  For all the Culver readers, do you ever look at the Culver website or their Facebook/Twitter?   Do you want to know more about Culver and how do you want them to contact you?

I’ll keep posting updates on my internship and what I’m doing, but so far, my first week is a total success.