Posted by Nicole Ardovino
Professional Development
Internship Reflection
In the Fall of 2020, I began my internship position for Longwood’s Cormier Honors College as their social media manager. Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, I made many accomplishments. One that I was most proud of would have to be my work on the Cormier Honors College Alumni Newsletter. This newsletter is sent out seasonally, and contains important news going on in the Honors college for alumni to stay updated on the school even after they graduate. I wrote and formatted the entire newsletter myself, and I am very happy with how it turned out. As a former editor-in-chief of my high school yearbook, I was overjoyed to be presented with an opportunity that was so similar to the work that I used to do for my school. This opportunity proved to be extremely beneficial in helping me connect with more Longwood graduates and faculty, as well as work on my professional writing skills.
Another major accomplishment that I was able to achieve this semester was being more engaged and involved on campus. As social media manager, I gave myself the responsibility of attending more Honors-related events in order to take pictures and get quotes for the social media pages. When I first started this internship, this was often done for me by either my supervisor or whoever attended the events themselves, so I took it upon myself to relieve these people of that job, and to give myself more opportunities for work and growth. A great example of this is a volunteer opportunity that presented itself in the spring, where Honors students were requested and encouraged to help deliver meals to those who lost power during one of our many ice storms this winter. I attended the event and not only got some great photos, but I was able to volunteer as well and help better myself and the Farmville community. This internship helped make that happen.
A very important day during this semester was Love Your Longwood Day, where my social media skills were truly put to the test. Love Your Longwood day is a 24 hour event, where students, alumni, and any supporters of the university are encouraged to donate to either the school in general, or to specific communities, such as the Honors College. The entire event as a whole ended up having seven posts, which is the most posts I have ever dedicated to one single topic. I was extremely proud of the work I put in that day, especially because I had to constantly check our social media pages, the donation site, and my email to see if I had any messages from my supervisor. It was very stressful, but also very successful in the end. As you can see in the photo above, the Cormier Honors College almost doubled their donation goal, and it satisfies me to know that I played a part in making that happen. Another huge accomplishment was my creation of the Alumni newsletter, which I mentioned earlier. Using the graphic design site Canva, I was able to format the newsletter to make it look pleasing to the eye, while also sharing incredible stories of students and faculty from this semester.
Along with these accomplishments, I feel I have developed a deeper connection with the Honors faculty and my Honors peers. Being able to interview so many different students and learn about their own accomplishments during their time at Longwood was both fulfilling and inspirational. I am so excited to continue this internship throughout the summer, where I will hopefully continue to learn more about myself, this career, and the students around me.
