Giving Back To The Community

Hello! My name is Stephen Hwang and I am a senior advertising student with a concentration in brand strategy and research. This post will detail my eye-opening experience as the Social Media Intern at Tree House Books where I was able to apply my classroom skills to a real world situation.

With this internship being my first professional role, I was a little nervous and hesitant at first. I wanted to make sure that I was able to provide the skills and knowledge to Tree House Books in an impactful way. When I first started, the entire staff was very kind and patient with me, which I was so appreciative of. I was eager to transfer the experiences that I went through in my classes and contribute to their social media element. After a few weeks of getting used to the position, I felt comfortable with performing my tasks on my own, because my supervisor Tangie was always there to answer any of my questions. Towards the end, I was managing all of their social media channels, creating creative post/stories, and analyzing the social media analytics. I felt confident and secure in my abilities as their main social media manager. While I am sad to end my time at Tree House Books and leave my position here, I am very grateful to all of the staff there for being so generous and kind to me.

I wanted to give a little advice for any others who come across my blog post on finding and/or starting an internship. I know all too well of the struggles and self-doubts that come with applying to a mind-numbing amount of applications. However do not lose hope, there is always something out there for you! While for your first official position may not be that dream internship that you’ve always wanted, sometimes opportunities that you have never thought of will help you get to where you need to go. Be open-minded of different paths even though they may not seem like they are the perfect fit for you. Ask a lot of questions and pick people’s brains (some may say an annoying amount of questions)! Put yourself out there, whether it is attending the different career fairs that Temple hosts or messaging people on social media for any potential opportunities or connections.

You will never know who, what, where, or when the perfect opportunity you will come across if you don’t put yourself out there. Advertise and advocate for yourself, you are your own brand!