Name: Qinxin (Angelene) Sun
Year: Junior
Major: Journalism
Minor: BIP
CFS Program: Business Field Studies
When I first got the phone call that I was accepted into the LiquidThread summer internship program, I was excited for the good reputation and excellent location of the content marketing agency. For almost two months now, I’ve been dressed nicely, taking the purple line to downtown Chicago, and working on the 32nd floor of the Leo Burnett Building that looks over Chicago River. I feel fortunate for the learning opportunities I have every day here, and it really gives me hands-on experience on a potential industry I want to work in.
As soon as all the summer interns got here, the office held a get-to-know-us meeting, so they could know our working interest and strengths. As a journalism major, I was later assigned a lot of creative writing work, from drafting social media, to putting up a marketing audit. I like the way they try to get to know us, and assign work accordingly so we can achieve our best efficiency. I work very tightly with my team, and as an intern, I usually do large amounts of preparation research work. Though it can get overwhelming sometimes, it is a good chance for me to get to know the background of clients, and to speak up later in the project. Throughout the process, LiquidThread makes me feel that I’m working for a purpose, and that they are taking my work seriously. I go to meetings with my team, contribute my input, and brainstorm ideas for new pitches. In addition, I’m also in charge of some independent projects, such as the drafting of a 2015 pop culture and events calendar for social media use. The office is also very good at preventing us from having down time at work by pulling us interns in to other new businesses whenever we are done with our main project. Through this, I also get to know a lot of other clients the agency is working with that is not on my team.
On the other hand, the weekly CFS class helped me understand my work at LiquidThread better, and also my role as an intern. Since content marketing is a relatively new concept, I was still a little confused half way through my internship of what content media actually is. My midterm project at CFS- a research on your own industry really helped me gain insight into the purpose and significance of the work I’m doing, and advance my performance at work. In addition, the professor picks very interesting and relevant subjects on interning and careers each week, and engage us with readings and movies. The weekly class really gives me a chance to take a break from the real working life, and sit back to reflect and learn.
My experience with CFS this summer has been amazing. As a rising junior, the internship this summer truly helped me with a better idea of who I am and who I want to be. It is a perfect balance for my role as a student and a future professional. I can’t wait to see how my experience this summer can help me take my first step of my professional future.