For the past 6 months, I have been fortunate enough to work as an intern in the Events office at the University, where I have been helping to plan and coordinate a series of mini festivals that the University has launched this year. I decided to apply to the InternPlus internship because I wanted to improve my employability skills and develop a better understanding of which direction I want to go in after I graduate from the University next year. The internship gave me a chance to gain hands on experience in a field that I have always been interested in but have struggled to gain a proper understanding of; I have previously done a lot of volunteering related to event organization, but I wasn’t sure if it would be something that I would want to pursue a career in. The internship allowed me to get a better understanding of the world of event organization for a large business and what it takes to organize large scale events, all the way from the initial idea and planning to the logistics and execution on the day.
During my internship I have had the opportunity to develop my communication and organizational skills, as well as learned to navigate content management systems and brand guidelines. I have worked closely with internal and external speakers to pull together festival programs and outline events for a variety of audiences. I have worked closely with a designer and the University’s communications office to ensure that all communications and branding was in line with University branding. Finally, I have had a chance to gain a better understanding of the use of social media within a large organization and I have actively helped plan and create content for social media platforms and festival marketing.
My InternPlus internship has exceeded my expectations by far! Starting an internship can be really intimidating and, having never worked in an office before, the environment was definitely one of my biggest worries before I started my internship. But the Event team has been so lovely to work with! They made sure I felt welcome and included as part of the team from my very first day. Even as ‘just’ an intern, I have always felt seen and heard within the team. They have given me responsibility and trusted my judgment along the way. They have supported me in every step of the way, and it has truly been a joy to work in the office! I have felt both challenged and supported through it all, and they have allowed me to have a large portion of responsibility and take lead on smaller aspects of the planning process. As a result, I feel better prepared for a potential career in event management or project coordination. Overall, my InternPlus internship experience has been nothing but positive and I would highly recommend anyone who is looking to dip their toes into the scary ‘what will I do after University’ waters to give the internships a chance. I for sure wouldn’t trade my experience for anything.
Find out more about the UNI-Versal festivals on the Universtiy website.
