Analyzing Research with Creative Designs
My name is Jessica Gian, I am currently a junior studying Advertising with concentrations in Art Direction and Brand Strategy & Research at Temple University. I am currently a Digital Communications intern for the Clinical Futures communications team, one of the Centers of Emphasis within the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Insitute.
During this internship, I have been able to learn a lot about how to contribute to communication plans within the organization, such as dismantling information and research into digestible means like blog posts or social media posts. I’ve also been able to learn about social media analytics and tracking, monitoring the variety of social media platforms from the organization, and how we can improve overall communications with our audience. Furthermore, this internship experience has allowed me to gain and enhance a variety of skills, such as time management organization, scientific communication skills, and science design skills.
A particular specialty within the field that I am now more determined to pursue would be accessibility in terms of design and user experience. I hope to learn more methods on how to make content more accessible to users, specifically focusing on how we as communicators can help communities by dismantling research and information into digestible, creative means for those who wouldn’t necessarily have access to the content in the first place, all while combating issues of archival silence. This is especially more prominent in scientific and research fields, where compiling information for general public use is more difficult due to the content or topic at hand.
One unique aspect of Clinical Futures that I discovered through the work and project I’ve worked on has been the welcoming and positive work environment within CHOP. The work environment at Clinical Futures has been very welcoming and open, and I am very grateful that everyone I’ve had the opportunity to work with and speak to has offered to assist me and tell me about their stories. Learning and hearing about everyone’s career path, how they ended up at Clinical Futures, and their drive and passion within the field have been very inspiring and motivational, pushing me to also move forward with my own ambitions.
Some advice that I would provide to others looking for internships or looking for jobs is to never give up! When I started applying for internships during my sophomore year, I had applied for more than 50 positions before getting accepted for my Summer 2023 internship. I also recommend anyone entering or starting an internship to keep track of the hours and projects they work on every week. That way, interns will be able to keep track of their progress, see how they have grown through their internship, and overall look back on all the work they’ve accomplished. Finally, I would recommend interns reach out to and stay in touch with their managers and other employees, whether it be through their contact email or LinkedIn!
