Do you want to take your work experience to the next level? That’s exactly what Alondra Ramos-Herrera did when she took the chance on CDE’s Summer Internship Clinic. Alondra spent a lot of her college career working management level positions at stores such as Rue 21, Also, and Garage. After working retail job after retail job, Alondra finally pursued her passion for social media at Mi Padrino.

Mi Padrino is your one-stop shop to planning a quinceanera. Clients can get in touch with vendors, get assistance planning, and develop their style on Mi Padrino’s platform. When Alondra heard Bud talk about Mi Padrino in her interview, she knew that it was exactly where she wanted to end up.

During her internship, Alondra was able to do a lot of email marketing, as well as cold calling. While in school, Alondra had started a fashion blog on Instagram, which developed quite a following. Realizing that social media was what she wanted to do, Alondra approached her boss to see how she could utilize those skills. “One of the best pieces of advice I could give someone in my position would be to not be afraid of letting your leaders know what you’re good at!” she explained. Once the leadership team at Mi Padrino saw her previous social media work with the blog, they were sold!

Alondra now works full time at Mi Padrino doing social media and has grown their Instagram presence from a couple hundred to over 20,000 followers. “I absolutely love what I do and the people I work with,” she shared. “I know the company is growing, and I want to grow with them!”

The CDE Summer Internship Clinic was about much more than just a job for Alondra. “You meet so many people and you learn so much,” she said. “You get what you put into it.” For her, that meant a full-time job! “As an intern with these start-up companies, you get the opportunity to really make an impact and sell yourself on what you’re good at,” Alondra explained, and that was exactly what she did.
“My one word of advice is to talk to everybody,” Alondra said. “I never really thought about bringing up that I liked social media until the fashion blog. If that hadn’t come up, I may not be where I am today!”

Companies all over Ann Arbor are looking for skills that might match up perfectly with your passions. Get connected with the business leaders in your community at our Digital Marketing Workshop on November 15th.