My name is Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, and I am a third year Politics and Theology student. This summer I interned in the School of Biological Sciences, helping the Friends of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden (FCBG) develop and design a website and social media presence.
I heard of the job by chance, while I was interviewing Careers Adviser Alisdair McKibben for a podcast that I host for The Gaudie student newspaper. I applied just two days before the deadline, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never worked in a desk job before and wondered how it would go. Would I get along with my supervisors? Would I be able to manage my time effectively? For the most part, I think I’ve answered these questions affirmatively.
I began my work on 6th June, spending the first several weeks researching other Friends groups and investigating how their digital footprints compared to FCBG. During this time, I met regularly with the Treasurer/Membership Secretary Julie and Keeper of the Garden David, exchanging ideas and strategies for improving our media presence.
By the end of June, we had taken special interest in the website of the Friends at Sheffield Botanic Garden. We were impressed by the craftsmanship shown and reached out to the Friends to see who had designed their site. The Friends in Sheffield were very helpful and pointed us to their web designer, a woman named Katy.
In early July, Julie and I met with Katy over Zoom and offered her the job of designing our new website. She accepted, and the work soon began. Over the next month, we were tasked with compiling photos, text, and content for each page we decided to include on the website (over 20).
The work moved slowly at times, especially when sorting through the multitude of documents we needed to properly label and identify. Yet, we persisted and ultimately submitted all of the content on schedule.
As of 29th August, when I am writing this, the website is nearly complete. Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved, I believe we have produced a website which will attract viewers and engage with our community. The website can be found at https://www.fcbgaberdeen.org.uk/.
Reflecting on my experiences this summer, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity entrusted to me by Julie and David. This summer taught me a lot about working in a professional environment, an invaluable skill to learn while at university. I had to be accountable to my superiors while being able to work together as a team with others. I had to learn to be patient when waiting for emails or taking photos in the Garden.
All in all, it has been a very good summer, and I definitely recommend the internship programme to all students at the University. I’ll take the skills I learned this summer with me as I join the workforce and begin my future career.
