Creative Chronicles: Insights From my Design Internship at R.F. Wilkins Consultants

My name is Raquel Wilkins and I am an Advertising with Art Direction Major. I had the chance to work as a graphic and marketing intern at R.F. Wilkins Consultants this semester. R.F.W. is a business development and management consulting firm located in New York that is committed to using equity and inclusion to effectively address the major challenges faced by its clients.

Throughout my internship, I made a point of applying my lifelong passion for design. Working at R.F.W. has proven to be very fulfilling, and coworkers and supervisors alike provide a supportive environment. One of the things I liked best about R.F.W. is how diverse the team is—not just in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity, but also in terms of abilities. My knowledge of many different sectors and industries has increased as a result of this exposure, which has promoted a thorough learning process. I also respect R.F.W.’s dedication to helping small businesses and improving their local communities.

My coworkers I work with at R.F.W. are always an inspiration to me. Each person, with a variety of backgrounds, demonstrated resiliency and willpower in conquering obstacles during their academic and professional endeavors. My boss extended my internship recently and I got an offer. In the future, I want to work on developing my soft skills and getting better at communication and time management.

For individuals starting their first internship, I suggest being persistent during the difficult process of finding opportunities. When you start the internship, go into it with an open mind, a desire to learn, and a readiness to impart knowledge when needed. Place a strong emphasis on efficient time management and team communication.

When I think back on the particular benefits I received from this experience, I learned how to explain design language and processes to those who are not familiar with art or design at R.F.W. This ability turned out to be quite useful and advanced my professional development. I also improved my ability to manage several projects at once and adhere to deadlines, which increased my overall effectiveness in a work environment.