Choosing to study business marketing in college was an easy decision for me – I always knew that I wanted to be creative in my career and I also had an interest in sharing messages with an audience. After obtaining several Associates degrees from my local community college in Huntington Beach, I decided to continue my undergraduate education at Long Beach State. In Fall 2021, after starting my senior year, I found myself craving more than just an academic education – I wanted real-world experience that would prepare me for my professional career. One day while chatting with a friend, I learned that the company she worked for had an amazing internship opportunity in my field of interest, and this is fortunately what brought me to Beach Cities Health District (BCHD)!
Working as an intern in BCHD’s communications department the past six months has been an amazing learning experience. I’ve been able to work in a team at a capacity that I never had before in my academic career. I’m learning how to better communicate with others, I’ve learned how to delicately balance my internship duties on top of school and work obligations, and I’ve been given the opportunity to share meaningful and important information about health and wellness with the community through writing various blogs and social media posts, which has provided me with a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment!
Working remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be challenging at times, but I’m lucky enough to be able to come into the office once a week, which has been one of my favorite aspects about this internship experience. I always look forward to coming into the office because it’s exciting seeing and speaking with my co-workers face-to-face; not only that, but I also enjoy being immersed in a real-life work environment. Each day in the office is different, yet exciting. Recently, I’ve been trusted to work on part of a project all on my own, where I’ve been tasked to film interviews with a few loyal members at the Center for Health & Fitness and obtain footage of other exercise activities/ classes which has been a lot of fun!
I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to work with BCHD, as it has provided me the preparation and confidence I have been seeking before I make my transition into the professional world.
