From Intern to Advocate: My Journey in Social Media Content Creation

Hi everyone! My name is Audrey Smith, I’m a junior Advertising major with a Concentration in Art Direction. I recently landed my first internship with The Center for ADHD as a social media content creator. I started in this position in February of this year, and have continued to work in this role through the summer and now the fall semester. This role has been a gift, allowing me to combine my creative expertise with my growing interest in mental health.

As an aspiring designer, this experience has taught me a plethora of valuable skills including sharpening my design abilities and reaching new audiences via social media channels. As a student in the art direction, having the opportunity to flex my creative muscles and design original social media content has been an enjoyable experience. From crafting eye-catching graphics to writing engaging captions, every task has given me the chance to learn and become better. Looking back at my work from my first few months in this position, I have definitely grown as a designer, and the online engagement reflects that. I’ve gained about four thousand Instagram followers throughout my eight months in this role, and our daily engagement continues to thrive.

Besides my skills in the design field, this experience has taught me so much about ADHD, which has quickly become a personal interest of mine. Working alongside Dr. Marcy Caldwell, a renowned clinical psychologist who specializes in adult ADHD, has been nothing short of informative and inspiring. I’ve read countless scholarly articles and studies on ADHD related topics in order to create the most accurate designs and captions. As someone who has always been interested in psychology and mental health, this role has given me the chance to grow in areas I didn’t think were possible. It’s so rewarding to see how my content can connect and resonate with others, and provide an online community for those who struggle with ADHD. 

After over eight months in this position, I’ve developed a passion for working in the social media field due to the creative expression that comes along with the job. I enjoy being able to bring personality to companies and connect with an online community through my work. When I started this role in early 2024, I feared my content would become bland and repetitive due to the more serious nature of the information. However, challenging myself as a designer to make unique and relatable content has made this experience the opposite of repetitive. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that no matter the brand, there is always a way to bring creativity and originality to design.

My design experience combined with my newfound knowledge of ADHD has allowed me to create content that reaches new audiences within the online ADHD community. This internship experience has been so fulfilling and has inspired me to pursue social media work in the future. My advice to anyone looking for a social media internship is to be yourself. Every single designer has their own unique skills to offer, and even though you will likely face rejection in your internship search, what is meant for you will find you!

As I continue my journey in advertising, I’m excited to explore how I can use my skills to make a positive impact on the world. If you would like to learn more about ADHD and view my work, visit @Dr.MarcyCaldwell on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn or visit ADDept.org.