Grady Intern Diaries: Maya Jones
Grady Intern Diaries: Maya Jones
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.
MJ: My internship is part of the Publicis Health Internship program, which includes 35 interns in the New York Office. There are also interns in the programs at the Philadelphia and Chicago Offices, bringing the number to almost 60 interns. As a Corporate Marketing & Growth Intern, I work for the marketing and growth team at Publicis Health Corporate Office. My responsibilities include:
- Collaborate with a team of six other interns to concept, develop, and pitch awareness and further promote a recurring event of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA)
- Construct and present trend analysis research project to explain the transformations in the health and wellness industry to Publicis Health marketing and communications executives
- Support chief marketing officer and global marketing manager on internal and external marketing and business development initiatives across Publicis Health network
What is the biggest challenge you faced during your internship?
MJ: Working on an intern project with interns from an office in another city was definitely the biggest challenge I faced during my internship. Group or team projects are challenging because you have to learn to speak to give your opinions and then listen to your teammates to collaborate and formulate the project at hand. It was slightly harder on this particular project because every meeting was conducted over a skype phone call, so you could not tell when a person in another office was going to speak or see their facial expressions. It took some time to learn how to give my own opinions during the meetings while also making sure that every team member felt heard and part of the project. In the end, I learned how to handle that dynamic and the project ended well.
What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
MJ: My favorite part of my summer internship is working with an amazing group of other interns across three different states (New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago). I find pure joy in meeting and forming relationships with diverse people. The intern class is very diverse in race, gender, and talent. I love hanging out with everyone during lunch or outside of the work place.
What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your internship?
MJ: There’s power in asking questions and making connections, regardless of if you’re brand new to a company or have been working there for many years. Questions show initiative and willingness to learn. Networking or making connections can help with job/internship hunting, learning more about positions surrounding your desired career, meeting people, and your overall communication skills. Both of these skills we equally valuable during my internship.
What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
MJ: The skills I learned from Public Relations Communications and Integrated Campaigns have been the most valuable for me during the course of my internship. I learned a great deal about writing, teamwork, communication, campaign methods, media planning, research, from these classes and have used the gained knowledge in the intern projects and daily tasks for the internship.
How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future?
MJ: This internship has helped me realize how much I enjoy research, especially research on the new generations. I love conducting researching, finding insights, and presenting that research to any person who it would be beneficial to in order to present new ideas for the changing times. I love the rush that presenting gives me, and it will always happen as I find new ideas to bring to the table.
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