As an incoming college junior, my knowledge of online academia is profound: I can create a PDF, attach files to emails and submit assignments on time. What more could a professor ask for?
While those are the base skills for passing a class, I have learned new skills and techniques thanks to FARMS that allowed me to excel and have fun throughout this internship.
One of my first tasks was creating a FARMS colleague calendar. My internship may not last forever, but my birthday will be immortalized on it.
I occasionally stepped in for Gretchen’s meetings to take notes when she had conferences, giving me a behind-the-scenes look at how the team operates. I also joined intern Zoom sessions like Strategic Communications for Impact, where I learned the importance of understanding your audience and effectively reaching out to them.
Collaboration, I quickly realized, is key to success in the communications world.
As I grew more comfortable in my role, Gretchen had me log newspapers, radio stations and other media outlets into our customer relationship management software. She guided me through it with patience and precision.
An exciting outcome? Because of my logs, a news channel interviewed Wanbli! It was incredible to see my work ripple out into the community in real time.
For the end-of-internship project, I helped Gretchen with the FARMS annual report. This included matching names to titles, titles to descriptions, and even creating the contact page— giving me a sense of tangible contribution and accomplishment.
The FARMS team has taught me so much about communications and marketing skills, both in and outside of the workplace, and I am incredibly grateful for it. This experience has not only strengthened my professional abilities but also inspired me to approach challenges with curiosity and confidence.
