It is so hard to believe my time at UVA Credit Union is coming to an end. In a few short weeks, I have had the opportunity to gain practical skills while applying what I learned in many of my marketing classes. I have been able to utilize Google Analytics to provide recommendations for website updates while also conducting research on best practices for social media marketing. My internship has also taught me a lot about time management. During my first few weeks, I was a little worried that I may not be able to complete all of the tasks I was assigned. However, having been very involved on campus, I was able to manage my time among the various projects effectively.

My internship has also taught me never to underestimate the value of having a strong work ethic. I was worried about not necessarily know all of the skills I would need to be effective in my internship. I did not want that to get in the way of me performing to the best of my ability. Even if we do not know all of the time, I learned it is valuable to exceed and do well in the areas that we do know.

When I declared my majors in management and marketing sophomore year, I knew I was interested in both management and marketing, but I was not exactly sure which path I wanted to follow after graduating. This internship has solidified my interest in marketing. Marketing is such an exciting industry to be involved in: from data analytics to strategy to design, there are many different aspects of the industry to explore. Marketing is always changing with new technologies and different ways to reach audiences. Marketing today is not the same as it was five or ten years ago, and it will not be the same five or ten years in the future. I am excited to explore more of these areas after I graduate, and find the one that best matches my interests.

For any student interested in pursuing a career in business, I would highly recommend finding a summer internship program to participate in. Although many take advantage of internships after their junior year, gaining experience with companies after sophomore year can be very valuable. I would also tell students to fully engage in any internship experience they are a part of. Go the extra mile when working on projects, ask your boss questions about the company, and learn as much as you can during your internship experience. These steps will expand your knowledge about the inner workings of the business and their industry. In return, going above and beyond positions you as a potential employee eager for new opportunities.

One of the best parts about interning in Charlottesville is being able to take in all this town has to offer. Even though I have grown up about half an hour away, it has been a unique opportunity to explore the city a little more this summer. Our training for my internship took place right on The Corner, so I really enjoyed my lunchtime walks around the Grounds at UVA and grabbing a delicious Bodo’s sandwich or an iced tea at Grit Coffee. However, one of my favorite activities has been to join my fellow interns at Carter Mountain Orchard for their Sunset Series. Every Thursday, they welcome hundreds of guests for THE BEST apple cider doughnuts and great views over Cville. My other friends in the program loved being able to hang out there!

During our training, I became very close with the other interns in the program. Even though everyone is working at different companies in Charlottesville, NOVA, and Richmond, we all have a Snapchat group that we chat every day. We all stay updated with the different tasks we are working on, joke around, and are even planning on meeting up for dinner later this week! 

At the credit union, I still feel that sense of community with my other coworkers. Even though there are no other interns, I have developed a close working relationship with others in the office. They have included me in webinars about leveraging video marketing for sites like Hulu and Netflix, and have provided me with opportunities to deepen my knowledge in marketing. I also found a unique connection with one of my bosses: I was friends with her son in middle school, where we were in the student council association together. Occasionally, some of the employees will take afternoon walks around Barracks Road, a shopping center beside the office, just to stretch our legs. The office also held a pizza party around the 4th of July, which provided an excellent opportunity for me to get to know some of the other employees in the office!

Digital Strategy Intern, UVA Community Credit Union

Every morning, I make the 30-minute commute to Charlottesville and arrive to work at about 8:45. I say hi to my managers, Chastity and Rebecca, and make my way to the office I share with Marcia, who works with copywriting and Photoshop. I check my emails to see if there were any updates from after I left the previous day and if there are any other tasks I need to complete in the morning. I typically eat lunch around 12:30, and work on various projects throughout the day!

I have been delighted to find such a close-knit community within the marketing department, When I started looking for a summer internship, I knew I wanted to find a company with coworkers that would be welcoming and friendly, just as I had found among my friends at CNU. Everyone in the department is so nice, and are more than happy to answer any questions I have during the day!

So far, I have been working on researching best practices credit unions use for posting on social media, developing their business listings on sites like Google, and analyzing their emails for new members. Additionally, I have been analyzing some social media insights, looking into their Google Analytics data to spot trends and insights, and auditing their Facebook pixels on their website to create ads for remarketing campaigns. It has been exciting to apply what I learned in my Interactive Marketing class this past semester, and find ways to help grow the credit union’s reach!

Hello Captains! My name is Emmet Aylor, and I am a rising senior majoring in Management and Marketing from Barboursville, Virginia. This summer, I am taking part in Launch, a program organized by HackCville and founded by UVA alum. Launch takes some of the top students and trains them for four weeks in digital marketing, data science, software engineering, or user experience, and matches them with companies in Charlottesville, Richmond, Northern Virginia, or other areas to work as interns at startups or other larger businesses. Growing up around Charlottesville, I had heard about HackCville and their work, and I tried to stay connected with them to learn more about opportunities to get involved. When I found out about their Launch program, I knew it would be a very unique opportunity.

This summer, I took part in the Digital Marketing program. For the first four weeks, me and my class of around 15 other students learned about social media marketing, Google Analytics, search engine optimization, and more. Every day, we would learn about a specific skill set in the morning, and then work with a team in the afternoon on a project that applied what we learned. We would often have group presentations the next morning to showcase our work. As our final project, we were paired with a local company, and developed a digital marketing strategy to help market their product. This training portion of my internship was super valuable to me, and allowed me to learn more hard skills that I could use for a marketing position.

Last week, we finished up our training and split off into our companies. I was paired with UVA Community Credit Union, a nonprofit financial institution in Charlottesville. Coincidentally, I work with a CNU alum! Being nervous on my first day, it was such an awesome opportunity to connect with a fellow Captain. I am really excited to dive deeper into my projects over the next couple of weeks and learn more about marketing for a financial institution!