InternViews: Elizabeth Nark

InternViews is a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their internship experience.

Elizabeth Nark is a fourth-year public relations from Alpharetta, Georgia. This year, she’s spending her summer as a marketing intern at Cyera in New York City. Read more about her internship experience below.

Provide a brief overview of your role and its associated responsibilities.

I’m a marketing intern at Cyera, an enterprise cybersecurity company specializing in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) and AI security. I support the field marketing team with behind-the-scenes work that keeps events running smoothly, including list uploads, ordering event materials and coordinating logistics. Through the UGA Grady NYC Experience, I also work onsite at company headquarters, representing Cyera at events like the AWS Summit in New York City, where I helped manage the booth and support attendee engagement at one of the industry’s leading cloud and AI conferences, and DataSecNY, where I collaborated with the global events team on one of Cyera’s largest conferences.

What opportunities did you have during this internship?

I’ve had the chance to work hands-on with the field marketing team on event execution — from list uploads and ordering materials to on-the-ground logistics. I represented Cyera at the AWS Summit in New York, helping manage the booth and engage attendees at one of the industry’s top cloud and AI conferences. Most recently, I worked DataSecNY alongside the global events team, which gave me the opportunity to collaborate across multiple teams.

What is one piece of work you are proud of creating in this role?

My work on the New York 2026 DataSecAI Regional Summit stands out most. Collaborating with the global events team alongside field marketing, I was involved in nearly every piece of it, from the earliest planning conversations to the final on-site details. Being able to see an event come together from every angle, and work across multiple teams to do it, gave me a whole new appreciation for the thought that goes into creating a space where security, data and AI leaders can actually learn from each other.

Did you receive any mentorship or guidance? How did it impact your experience?

Yes! I wouldn’t have been able to be so involved in events like the DataSecAI Regional Summit without the guidance of my mentors and team. Their support gave me the confidence and context to take on more responsibility across the planning process, not just execute individual tasks.

What challenges have you overcome in this role?

The pace of the work itself definitely has been an adjustment! At Cyera, we move at what’s called “Cyera speed,” meaning things get done quickly and efficiently, which required me to stay adaptable and think on my feet. But what’s stood out even more is being part of an all-women team in an industry where women make up only about 35% of the tech workforce. Seeing that representation firsthand and being supported by a team of women navigating and succeeding in tech, showed me what’s possible and pushed me to grow more confident in the space myself.

How has this internship influenced your future career?

This experience has solidified my interest in pursuing a career in event planning and marketing. Seeing firsthand how much strategy, coordination and cross-functional collaboration goes into a successful event has confirmed that this is the direction I want to take my career.

Editor: Sarah Kate Maher, skm01341@uga.edu