Grady Intern Diaries: Haley Lacuesta

Grady Intern Diaries: Haley Lacuesta

August 16, 2019

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
HL: As the digital marketing intern for the ACC’s Plastics division, I disseminate messaging for chemical manufacturers and plastics makers through various social media platforms. I was given control of the Wrap Recycling Action Program’s (WRAP) Twitter and Facebook handles (WRAP is a national public outreach campaign that promotes plastic bag and flexible plastic film recycling on a government, business and individual level). Additionally, I have had the opportunity to participate in building a new project, America’s Plastic Makers (APM), from the ground up through strategic planning. My daily responsibilities include creating content calendars for social media, scheduling posts for WRAP and APM via a social listening tool, measuring monthly social media analytics, and designing creative content for Twitter cards and other graphics via InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. I also provide graphic design and SEO services to other corners of the Plastics department.

Grady:What was the biggest surprise in your internship (ie: is there anything you didn’t expect?)
HL: I was surprised by how warm and welcoming ACC was to its interns. They really value young professionals, and nearly every professional staff member I met were willing to answer my questions and act as mentor to me.

Grady: What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your internship?
HL: I learned that it is vitally important to be detail-oriented and organized. Your employer can teach you all the technical skills needed to be successful, but organizational skills and foresight are characteristics that cannot be taught. I gained a lot of professional discipline through this internship experience.

Grady: What skill(s) did you learn at your summer internship that you expect to be helpful as you pursue your desired career
HL: This experience gave me vital insight to how communications campaigns and strategy operate on a national level. It also introduced me to the world of trade associations and advocacy groups.

Grady: What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
HL: I took an online research and analytics course during my internship, which helped in a monumental way. The course introduced me to social listening tools like those I was using every day in the office. It also taught me how to analyze social media metrics in a meaningful way in order to adapt strategy and content to the ever-changing online landscape.

Grady: How will your summer internship affect the way you approach the rest of your time at UGA?
HL: I graduate in December, and I’m so glad I had this experience at the tail end of my undergraduate career at UGA. Not only did it give me vital professional experience that I will need after I graduate, it introduced me to some amazing mentors that can possibly help me pave my way back to Washington DC as a young professional. I have less anxiety about my future after graduation, because my network of advisors has grown.

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