Reels, Real Estate, and Real Growth
Hi everyone! My name is Ava Steneken, I am a junior here at Temple majoring in Advertising with a minor in Public Relations. Since May 2024 I have had the pleasure of interning with Temple University’s Real Estate Institute as their Marketing Intern. My roles ranged from graphic design to social media management, to spearheading their 50th anniversary campaign.
Running social media accounts for such an established organization wasn’t just about posting content, it was about creating a digital narrative that reflected their professionalism while also engaging a modern audience. This internship taught me how to align my content with goals, whether that was boosting engagement, building community, or highlighting key milestones.
Working alongside experienced professionals at the Real Estate Institute introduced me to individuals who are deeply passionate about their work. Before starting this job, I was not familiar with the real estate industry at all and have since gained so much knowledge that can be applied to my real life outside of marketing. From the administrative team to the course instructors, their willingness to share insights about the real estate industry and higher education has been incredibly inspiring. The passion this team has for seeing students succeed reminded me of the importance of mentorship and collaboration in any field.
Through this internship, I found myself gravitating the most towards account management and audience engagement. I have been so lucky to have creative freedom when creating content and conceptualizing campaigns and seeing all my creative work come to life has solidified my desire to work in this area.
Overall, from this internship I gained a deeper understanding of the real estate industry and higher education, refined my skills in digital marketing, and discovered my passion for creating content that resonates with an audience. The experience solidified my belief in the power of social media to tell compelling stories and build meaningful relationships. As I move forward in my career, I will carry the lessons, skills, and connections from this experience with me.
And to anyone starting their first internship, my advice is to be proactive. Seek out opportunities to learn, even if it pushes you outside your professional comfort zone. I consider myself to be quite an introverted person but don’t be afraid to ask questions or pitch ideas, your perspective is valuable. This is something that definitely took me the most time to learn. In professional settings, I often kept quiet out of fear of being wrong or sounding “stupid.” I want everyone starting their first internship to know you were hired for a reason and everyone around you is committed to helping you grow!
