Grady Intern Diaries: Lucy Cao
Grady Intern Diaries: Lucy Cao
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.
LC: My responsibilities as a social media intern had to do everything with immersing myself with the culture at NCR. NCR is known for their technological innovation from the drive through ATM to the Fintech that we experience all over the world today. I covered events live via Instagram stories, conducted research and assisted in evaluating content standards for NCR’s social platforms all summer. While the fun parts can be found on their Instagram (@ncrcorporation), some of the most interesting parts of my internship happened behind the scenes. I learned all about the reality of corporate communications and marketing.
Grady: What is the biggest challenge you faced during your summer internship?
LC: The biggest challenge I faced during my internship was the constant explanation of what I was doing at a Fortune 500, fintech leader like NCR. I was surrounded by software engineers and IT geniuses all summer, so being the one and only social media intern was quite a change. While it was repetitive to explain my very specific role at NCR, it helped me establish a clear-cut explanation for what social media can do for communications and the expression of the company’s culture. Education is key!
Grady: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
LC: Imagine spending your days in one of the largest and high-tech buildings in Atlanta, updating the masses on happenings on campus via Instagram stories. Utilizing Instagram to communicate and helping create content was THE BEST part of my summer.
Grady: What is the most memorable experience you had during your internship?
LC: NCR is a company where everyone is available, down to the entire leadership team. One of my most memorable experiences at NCR starts with an elevator ride with none other than NCR’s CEO Mike Hayford and EVP & President of NCR Banking, Frank D’Angelo. They politely asked how I was doing and me being me, I responded with “I’m doing regular.” I am not sure if it was the response that they were expecting, but it’s how I felt in the moment.
Grady: What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your summer internship?
LC: One of the most valuable lessons I learned during my internship experience is that persistence is necessary. Persistence, along with pushing myself out of my comfort zone, is vital to success at a company as vast as NCR. While social media might not be the business priority when compared to tech and innovation, I was able to make myself memorable in the eyes of the people that I have met and connected with.
Grady: How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future?
LC: My internship helped me confirm that Advertising was definitely the right major for me. I get to create, design, work with social platforms and communicate with people on a global scale. It made me realize that jobs are not cookie-cutter, and anything is possible if you make yourself available to the opportunities that come your way.
Grady: How will your summer internship affect the way you approach the rest of your time at UGA?
LC: I think it will change my intentionality as a student. The goal going into the school year is to be focused on graduation, securing a job and learning as much as I can while enjoying my last year as a dawg on campus. This internship has changed the way I think about experience versus education and how both are interchangeably useful in the real world.
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