1. Where are you currently interning and what are you doing?
I am currently the marketing and events intern at SOCHE. In my role, I am the main point of contact for both employers and job seekers that attend virtual job fairs hosted by SOCHE. I am also responsible for developing marketing material and coordinating communication through email, social media, and print media. The opportunity I have with SOCHE has allowed me to try my hand at a number of different tasks that involve digital and printing marketing.
2. How is it helping you reach your career goals?
The position at SOCHE is helping me reach my career goals by giving me a better understanding of what I enjoy doing the most. Marketing is a broad career field and SOCHE is giving me a chance to try out all kinds of work-related to marketing (video, web-design, event marketing, social media, email, print media, etc.).
One of my five-year goals is to become a marketing manager (or a role in line with that of a marketing manager). This position has given me the chance to sharpen my project management, digital marketing, and business skills and make this a dream of mine a reality.
3. Do you plan on staying in the Dayton region?
Yes, I do plan to stay in the Dayton region upon graduation in May. I have a lot invested in this area keeping me here: plugged into church as both media specialist and worship leader, family in the area, involvement in numerous local bands, and more.
4. Tell me a little bit about what you’ve learned throughout the course of the internship.
The biggest lesson I have learned throughout the course of this internship is that failure is only a problem if you are not able to use it as an opportunity to learn and improve your work. Event planning is one such area that requires continued refining and process improvement. With feedback from our attendees, we’ve been able to make changes and have hosted a number of events, and have delivered results, exceeding expectations. This would not have been possible without the collaboration between SOCHE, the DDC, and JobsOhio.
5. Tell me about how SOCHE has helped you find the internship placement (especially during COVID).
Without SOCHE I’m not sure if I would have been able to gain skills in my field of study. When Morgan Plummer, the program manager at SOCHE, reached out to me about an opportunity at their office as the marketing and events intern, I was ecstatic. Not only was I able to get a position in marketing (after months of applying at a number of places, without success), but I am also able to continue working through my classes.
6. Is your internship online or a blend of both and is that working well?
My internship is a blend of both online and in person and the flexibility has really helped me with my class schedule.
7. Why do you think it helps to learn on the job?
In most cases, you only learn so much in classes, especially in a field like Marketing. Classroom-based learning gives you get the head knowledge but not much of the actual hands-on experience. This internship opportunity has really helped me apply what I’ve learned in the classroom, in a real-world setting.
8. What have you been able to accomplish so far at your internship?
SOCHE has provided me the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in event planning, web design, marketing, and communicating with employers and stakeholders. I have also had the opportunity to work on video campaigns and marketing across a number of digital and print platforms.
The Intern Spotlight Series are interviews conducted with current and past SOCHE Interns, discussing the value of their on-the-job experience at their internship.
If you are interested in hiring an intern, contact Patty Buddelmeyer at patty.buddelmeyer@soche.org or (937) 258-8890.
If you are interested in applying for a SOCHE Internship, go to www.socheintern.org.
