Spring 2024 Internship Reflection

Jefferson Lab Accelerator Tunnel

For the past year, I have had the pleasure of interning for Jefferson Lab as a communications office intern where I primarily create social media content for Jefferson Lab and I also assist them with writing press releases and any other internal/external communications tasks. Entering this internship I had very minimal experience running social media accounts and have never written a news article ever. However, when I was hired I was guaranteed that I would learn how to write articles and build a portfolio of social media content. Sure enough, they quickly got me involved in both of these aspects. Overall this internship does an excellent job in giving me hands-on learning opportunities and allows me to have creative freedom instead of making me sit back and observe. They ensured that every project that I was assigned would benefit me in the long run as they wanted me to get the most out of this internship.

After reviewing the smart goals created at the beginning of the semester, I did not accomplish all of them. I successfully helped Jefferson Lab increase its followers and engagement count. A few of the videos published received nearly 2,000 views which was the highest view and engagement count ever on their social media pages. While I did not get Jefferson Lab to 1,000 followers, the follow count sits at 705. Although this is a challenging goal to accomplish, I believe that with more consistent posting it can be accomplished by the end of summer 2025!

This internship has truly given me a taste of what it’s like to work as a social media manager for a brand or company. Today, many brands follow trends and even create some of their own and I was allowed to practice doing the same at Jefferson Lab. As a media studies major, I was not given many opportunities to apply what I learned in my coursework until I began interning at Jefferson Lab. The biggest way my coursework prepared me for this is through academic writing. While AP style writing is different, writing news releases was much easier since I already had a background in some form of writing.

This internship helped me decide that I want to pursue a career in the social media and content creation industry. In addition, working with other professionals such as photographers, graphic designers, and writers showed me how all of these positions rely on each other when it comes to the success of a company. The people in these professions played a key role in helping me develop other skills such as AP style writing, photography, and the biggest skill, video editing. For social media, video editing is a valuable and important skill to have and this internship has greatly developed my skills, particularly through many vertical short-form videos. For example, during a video I made for National Periodic Table Day, I included graphic elements and pictures inside the video which helped keep the audience engaged.

After this internship is over I plan to continue working in this field as a social media specialist. I want to take all of the experience that I have gained to work in the sports or entertainment industry. This internship has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things when it comes to content creation. It has boosted my confidence in this field and I now feel confident in my abilities. I am excited to work for a company.

My advice for upcoming interns is to be very proactive in your role. Make sure to ask questions and most importantly don’t be afraid to discuss ideas you have with your supervisors. You never know how impactful your idea can be for a company. Finally, connect and network with people in and outside of your department. Learning from other people will not only help you grow professionally but also personally.