A Lot to Discover! (See What I Did There?)

(6/10/19)

I am back again and ready to begin another blog series, this time about my third internship overall during my college career and the third internship that the PLA has so generously supported. Though it’s a lot of writing, I’m appreciative of the chance to write these weekly blog posts and keep track of all that I’ve done throughout my internships, both inside and outside of work.

I want to start off by making some last remarks about my incredible experience in Los Angeles! My last day interning with Disney Channel was a little over a month ago on April 26th, and I cannot believe it has been that long because it feels like I was just there! I was very sad to leave all my co-workers and new connections I had made at Disney, and they made sure that I felt so special on my last day, sending me off with food and gifts. Many of them told me to keep in touch, and it wasn’t until I finally left the office on that last Friday that the impact of this opportunity truly hit me. I had just spent over three months living and working in the city that had always felt like some kind of dreamland to me. I saw it in movies and television shows, had visited once for vacation, and had researched it many times, but never did I think that as a junior in college I would be able to live there temporarily and experience all that this thrilling new place had to offer. I will forever be grateful to my parents and all those who helped me get there, and to the new friends that I made while in LA that I will be sharing these memories with for the rest of my life.

After returning from LA, I had the month of May to relax and catch up with friends and family that I had been missing so much from the west coast. I spent some time back in State College then returned to my home in West Chester for some much-needed R&R. I would say that May was one of the most fun months that I have ever had, and it was a great way to unwind after full-time work and prepare for my next launch into another full-time job. Cue me moving to New York City last weekend for another summer in the Big Apple! I am so excited to be back here again, this time interning with Discovery, Inc., and again I am so grateful for my parents and for the support that Penn State and the PLA has given me to allow me to come back.

This past week was my first week interning with Discovery in the digital marketing department, working across some of my favorite brands like TLC, HGTV, ID, and more. Though it is notoriously difficult to explain succinctly what the digital marketing team is specifically in charge of, I will say that it has a lot to do with gathering and retaining consumers through strategic campaigns that target their interests and occur through TV Watch Apps, websites, email, and more. I have never worked in a digital marketing role, and it is definitely different from what I’m used to. Especially as a rising senior who will have to determine soon what kinds of jobs I want to apply for when I graduate, I am very appreciative of the chance to interact closely with this new kind of department and further narrow down what I am interested in and where I can excel. This past week has mostly been an introduction to what I will get up to over the next ten weeks, but I have also gotten started on some projects and I have certainly been kept busy.

Though I don’t have anything very interesting to report yet, I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks and the exciting info I will have to write about in each upcoming email. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!