Courtney Bookspan developed creative, strategic, and communication skills during her internship, learning how to visually represent a brand, connect with audiences online, and adapt content to different platforms and spaces.
What kind of work did you do during your internship?
I did lots of different kinds of work throughout my internship. Though I was solely focused on creating content for their Instagram, I was tasked with coming up with different creative ideas to capture the biggest audience. I then used Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Photoshop, and Canva to create the media designs. I used those design assets to make reels and carousel posts on Instagram to promote and highlight events. I even came up with a month's worth of “wine Wednesday” posts in March to highlight our brand during Arizona Wine month.
What were the most satisfying and favorite parts of your internship?
The most satisfying part of my internship was hearing that people liked the media that I was creating. Creating original content can be stressful sometimes, especially when posting on Instagram. When I made one of my first reels and posted it, my site supervisors said that the owner really liked it and it boosted my confidence in my work. It was meaningful because I am so hard on myself when it comes to creating just about anything, so it was nice to receive that encouraging feedback.
I would have to say my favorite part was visiting the vineyards in Elgin with my site supervisor and an employee from the Scottsdale location. This was my favorite because I got to see everything at the winery from behind the scenes, which is pretty cool.
What did you find the most challenging about your internship?
Coming up with how I wanted the media displayed was the most challenging thing about my internship. This was because my design constraints were fairly open-ended, which actually can make it tougher to narrow down an idea and make a decision. I had the freedom to do whatever I thought was best, as long as it was in line with their current branding. This openness taught me to be more decisive and take constructive criticism better in the creative process. It also showed me I needed to not be as hard on myself as I tend to be.
What new knowledge and transferable skills did you learn and practice during this internship?
I got a lot of new niche wine knowledge during this internship that honestly I wish I had before going to study abroad. I gained new skills in marketing and branding and I got better at my writing skills and copywriting captions for social media posts. I also enhanced my communication skills when it came to reaching out, setting up meetings, and having timely response times with texts and emails.
What is unique about your situation that influenced your internship selection or experience?
Something unique about my experience is that I was the only one coming up with the content and media. There were some story posts that my site supervisor would tell me about that she would be adding and or reposting, but I often worked fairly independently. Something else that was unique is that they have a lot of different aspects of the business to promote so I got to work with both tasting rooms when coming up with ideas. Lastly, I would say going to see the vineyards was a unique experience because it is not something you see everyday when you think of a typical internship.
How is the internship related to your applied humanities degree?
My emphasis is in Spatial Organization and Design Thinking, which allows me to use my creativity. My internship allowed me to apply my skills since I was the primary person coming up with content all semester long. My internship and my degree go hand in hand because all of the platforms that used to create the media for my internship I would use for a class one way or another. It also helped me use what I know about connecting with new people and enhancing my communication skills.
Has your internship influenced your future plans?
Not necessarily, because after graduation I will be going to school for a year pursuing a certificate in teaching. Teaching is a different path than what my internship was for sure, but has helped me a lot. I will still be able to use my creativity in the classroom when I do become a teacher. Even though I won’t be specifically continuing on with content creation, I am grateful for all the connections that I have made throughout my experience.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for and begin their internship?
The advice that I have for searching for internships is to apply to ones that interest you because it won’t feel like work. During the internship, stay on top of your work and just try your best. It is okay to feel stressed when doing something new for the first time. Just be yourself and communicate with your boss about missing work, or if you have to turn something in later. They will understand because they were students too, they understand the procrastination and that you are taking other classes. Some things will take priority. But just have fun and meet new people!