In this section of my portfolio, I will note my experiences partaking in the Internship Program with Sant'anna Institute in Sorrento, Italy.
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Working in Italy, with Vervece Charter, as a Communications Intern is an experience I will never forget. To be immersed in the culture is truly a blessing – personally and professionally. I believe that the experience will help hone and sharpen my necessary PR skills. I am honored and so excited to be able to participate!
Week 1 Reflection
This first week working in Italy, with Vervece Charter, was a week filled with excitement – but also some hardship. The night before my first day at work, I honestly was doubting myself, my abilities, and my decision to partake in something like this. I felt quite nervous, uncomfortable, even a bit scared to be in such a new, different environment – especially knowing that I don't speak much of the language.
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However, the morning of my first day, I pulled through and decided that, despite my doubt and my nerves, that I was going to come out of my shell and make the experience a great one! And I believe in week one, I did just that.
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I was greeted with smiles and hospitality upon arriving to the office for my first day. I instantly felt like I knew the work I had to do, and I felt confident as I began to start. If anything, this first day reaffirmed the love I have for social media marketing and content creation; I instantly felt inspired.
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My second day, I am presented with the opportunity to attend a private boat tour to Capri for some on-site content shooting! This was probably the highlight of my week. The crew and the passengers I met were all so very kind and welcoming. I was even able to explore the island a bit, capturing some social media content of my own.
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I finished the work week on Friday, ahead of the weekend off. I was able to compile the content I had gotten from Capri, and began to create! Week 1 flew by! I can't wait to see what happens in Week 2!
Week 2 Reflection
Me in Positano!
I have completed by second full week at Sant'anna and Vervece Charter!
This week was marked by the realities of being in a foreign country. I found myself feeling pretty homesick this week, to be honest. I was really missing family, friends, and overall familiarity and comfort. I was tried and tested with finding a happy work/life balance as I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed with responsibility. Truthfully, I also struggled a lot this week with feeling isolated and left out of what my friends here are off doing while I am working.
It's safe to say I'm still trying to find that balance, but I am working everyday towards that.
However, a real highlight of this week was being able to travel to Amalfi and Positano with Vervece! I was able to gather and shoot lots of social media content which is great as I gear up to start the company TikTok account. I have really been enjoying and having fun with the work that I get to do.
I also began a personal project of my own making a visual, video journal of my time here. Perhaps I can share a bit of it during the final presentation!
Week 3 Reflection
I'm officially finished week 3, and I have now already begun the final full week here! It is just crazy to me how much time has flown by. I truly don't know where the time went! However, this week was the first week to me where I feel like I'm adjusted. Moments that were hard or frustrating for me in previous weeks suddenly didn't bother me this week.
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I think I've really just been learning how to take things how they are sometimes. For instance, when I have to take the bus to get to my internship, no matter how early I'd get there, the bus would always be late...making me late for work. This was an extremely hard thing for me to experience, over and over, because I really value punctuality and schedule. However, this week, instead of getting worked up over things I ultimately couldn't control, I reminded myself of the great opportunity I am currently living in.
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As for the work I've been doing with Vervece, I do really enjoy it. I've been spending most of my time making a 21-day social media posting calendar (Instagram and TikTok) with pre-planned pieces of content I edited, captions, hashtags, trending sounds, and exactly what day to post everything. It's taken me lots of time, but I am very proud of the way it's turning out. Of course, I'd love for them to use it, but even if they don't, it's something I'll be able to add to my portfolio and experience.
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This next coming week, week 4, my goal is to finish up the calendar and work on another project specifically for TikTok. Since TikTok would be a new account for Vervece, I wanted to lay out a few extra details to help guide them once I'm gone, or for when a new intern takes over next term!
Week 4 Reflection
I am now beginning my 5th and final week interning with Vervece Charter in Sorrento! While I am sad that my time in Italy is coming to an end, I am grateful of all that I've learned since being here.
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I feel now more confident in my field of work than I did when I first came. I now have a sense of confidence that social media work is what I would like to pursue post-grad – I've even started applying for positions back home in Richmond. I was able to successfully build a social media brand strategy from the ground up, and begin executing that strategy.
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One of my biggest accomplishments at Vervece was starting a brand new TikTok account, and generating 15K views in just a week. I am also putting in place the Instagram schedule during my last and final week.
Even beyond honing my professional skills, I feel that I have grown on my personal journey as well. This whole experience was definitely something out of my comfort zone, and I am proud that, despite my challenges, I pushed through and made the most out of my time here.