For the past three months, I have been an account service intern here at Schaefer Advertising.  While waking up a 7:30 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday took some adjusting for my senior college body, I adjusted and within a matter of days I no longer dreaded hearing the sound of my alarm alerting me to get ready for work. 

To put it simply, interning at Schaefer this past semester has been an exceptional experience.  Aside from the trendy office, unlimited coffee, and weekly sweet treats, the people are what made this experience great.  It is rare that people are willing to fully trust an intern with important work.  However, here at Schaefer, everybody always assured me I was capable of any project they assigned me.  The people here spent time working with me and never became frustrated when I asked 100 questions. 

Aside from the relationships I built at Schaefer, I feel the most valuable part of my internship were the skills I learned both professionally and personally.  I learned to create Facebook advertisements, write press releases, publish press releases, create metric reports, write creative briefs, research media opportunities using Cision, create blog posts, improve PowerPoint presentations, improve my knowledge of excel spreadsheets, gained knowledge on QR codes, and so on and so forth.  Personally, I think I learned how important communication with others is.  Whether I was communicating problems, questions, or project progress, I learned the value of constant feedback and open communication. 

Ken and Erin- a special thanks to both of you for putting your faith in my abilities and trusting me with this position.  I will miss the Monday morning meetings at 9 a.m. when everyone tells stories about their weekends and cracks jokes (MOST of which are funny).  Just because my internship is over don’t think you can get rid of me that easily.  I will still be popping by to bring baked goods and give agency tours to my friends…

To the future intern- get ready for a great experience.  If there is any advice I can give you it is to take initiative and go above and beyond the formal requirements asked of you. As Erin says, “think outside of the box” and push yourself to always go one step further.

 - Hannah Mering

Three and a half years ago when I enrolled at TCU I “thought” I knew exactly what I wanted in life: to find my passion, graduate in four years, start my own business, become a top professional in my field, retire early and enjoy my time vacationing with family and friends.

Sounds like the dream life, right? Well, that’s exactly what it was…a dream.

Fortunately for me, I can at least check off the first two. This May, I will officially be a graduate from Texas Christian University with a B.S in Strategic Communication (a fancy way of saying advertising and public relations). After that, your guess is just as good as mine.

Although I am confident in my career choice, I have no idea what path will lead me there. And I’m okay with that because just like social media trends, life is expected to change. For now, I am happily interning in Account Services at Schaefer Advertising Co.

In the past, I believed that as long as I had a plan and executed it with hardwork I would be okay in life, but with every day in the office I’m discovering it’s an empty achievement if there is no passion behind it.

I absolutely love the amount of passion Schaefer Advertising shows among fellow employees, passion for clients and passion for producing quality work. In less than four weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to actively participate in projects, observe client meetings and help meet deadlines.

Most importantly, I appreciate the hands-on approach the staff has taken to mentor me.

I’m sure, in time the next step of my path will reveal itself, but until then I’m spending it having fun and loving what I do best.

To keep the conversation going, connect with me, Olivia Stribling, on LinkedIn and follow my professional blog A Woman Who Thinks She Can.