It almost didn’t register that we’re more than halfway through with our DukeEngage summer experience–time has flown! These days, it feels like the concept of time is in flux. Is it Tuesday? Or Friday? The world may never know. While many aspects of my DukeEngage experience exceeded my expectations–like having a great intern friend group, working creatively, and engaging in fun Zoom meetings–other aspects haven’t gone as planned. For one thing, the work that I originally thought I’d be doing has changed. When I came in, I anticipated doing a lot of writing. Because I’m interning at an educational nonprofit, I reasoned that I’d help create curriculum content like my co-workers. However, gradually I’ve realized that my role has switched towards marketing/business.
This change was actually quite beneficial, as I absolutely love the realm of sales/marketing. Last summer, I worked part-time as a Sales Associate at Urban Outfitters, and it was a fantastic experience. One time, someone asked me to check her balance at the cash register, so I pushed her over. I guess you could say I didn’t see the gravity in that situation. Just kidding–I’m a great sales rep, I promise. While I’m not standing and walking for six hours straight anymore, my mind still continues to wander with ideas. I exercise an incredible amount of creative energy within my current role. I don’t need to greet customers as they walk in the door, but I do ‘greet’ and engage with people virtually through social media engagement posts.
I actually just finished a Zoom meeting about an hour ago with my team. My supervisor, Jess, had asked us in the call to brainstorm ideas for an upcoming event our nonprofit would be hosting. We spent half an hour discussing what our target student audience would appreciate, and how we could make our agenda as engaging as possible. Getting the opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other and support each others’ creative visions was refreshing, and something I acutely missed after leaving college for spring break. It reminded me of my seminar classes at Duke, and how each class left me brimming with more ideas.
Let’s see where the last half of this internship will lead–I’m excited to see what’s next!
