By: Ariana González
Sophie Boucher
Major(s): Journalism on the PR Track
Graduation Year: 2025
Internship: SBS Pathways Center Social Media Intern
What drew you to your internship before applying for it? Which interests are aligned with the type of work you would be doing?
I am a journalism student on the PR track, and I also have a background in video production. So I was drawn to this position because it kind of merged all the things that I was learning in the PR track and my previous experience, so creating content calendars and making videos and graphics was all something that I had experience in, but I hadn't had the opportunity to do it for a public platform or a real Instagram account that wasn't my own.
How was the application process?
It was a typical process. I found the application on handshake and I applied with my resume and a cover letter. Then a week later, I heard back from them asking about an interview and for my samples. During the interview, I met with my supervisor, Koni Denham, and we talked about the samples and the expectations for the position. Then, a week later, she made her decision.
What previous experience prepared you for the interview?
My Public Relations classes helped me with the position in terms of understanding the expectations of how much time and effort go into the work. I also had experience doing video production in high school. I worked with the team to train them and make schedules and content calendars, and worked a little bit with Canva. I also had a previous internship working for a Public Relations group that represents music venues. During that time, I worked a lot with Canva and planning for marketing for these groups.
What did your first days look like in the internship in comparison to your last? What were some of the things you learned?
My first day, I sat down with Koni, and we set up all the accounts that I needed and discussed the expectations. Some events were coming up, so we talked about those and what social media posts she needed to do to get the word out about those events. That's where it started. Now, I do weekly meetings with her. So every Thursday, I meet with her and we go over what's coming up for the next week. So if any events need to be posted about, or any holidays, or any fun things, I plan, and then we just discuss them. I've kind of gotten into a groove now where I can plan out maybe a month or a couple weeks ahead instead of going week by week, just because I know what the expectations are and how to fill the week with different content.
Was there anything about your internship that surprised you? Things you didn’t expect?
Yeah, some things that I have learned are more about organization and planning, which is super important for content, calendars, and social media. I also have learned to adapt on the fly because a lot of things come in and they're like “oh, we need this to be posted today” or “actually, this event has been rescheduled or postponed or we need this or that” and so a lot of the things that I'm doing, I'm doing them 10 minutes before it posts or something like that. I try not to, but sometimes that's just how it is. In the future, I would be interested in something related to social media. I do enjoy it, and I want that to be a part of my future.
What are some of the things you learned from your internship? How did it inform your long-term career goals?
There's a lot of creative freedom! Koni often says to me, "Oh, we have this event. Can you make a post for it?" and there are no guidelines. There's the color scheme and some things that I follow. In terms of expectations, it's completely up to me. What also surprised me is that I assumed that I would be working with someone on the Instagram account, but I just run the account by myself. Koni has to approve of everything, but in terms of the creative freedom and posting, that's all me.
What advice would you give to someone applying for this internship in the future?
I went into this position with a background in media, but nothing particularly connected me to social media. So. If you're someone who doesn't necessarily have social media experience but is interested in it, I think this is a great starting position to get your feet wet. We have developed it to be a little more structured, so there are some guidelines and stuff that I've created, but nothing is too crazy. It's about making a post a day, sometimes more than that, but it's pretty easy to follow. Pretty chill and go with the flow type of thing.