Are you looking for an internship experience where you actually make an impact? Zvezda Deuling was in the same boat. She worked at a bridal shop for three years where she was introduced to social media management by taking charge of email marketing. She went from being a sales associate to being their marketing coordinator, which in turn encouraged her to go back to school and get a degree in marketing to make a bigger impact.

She was introduced to the opportunity to participate in the CDE Summer Internship Clinic through one of her professors and the clinic director, Bud Gibson. She says of the experience, “The internship really exposed me to everything and allowed me to apply my skills in a professional environment. I wasn’t getting coffee for people and I felt really important being on their marketing team because they really trusted me.” The CDE internship experience is hands-on job experience at a start-up in the Ann Arbor area.

During her time in the CDE Summer Internship Clinic, she worked at Ripple Science, a company that manages a participant and patient management software for research and studies. “Ripple was exceptional at allowing me to keep growing and I really loved getting the opportunity to do that. I did everything from marketing to graphic design.” After the internship, they hired her on full-time and she says that “It was a great transition at Ripple. I went from being an intern to being the marketing manager and I was one of 8 employees. I took on 1000 different roles but I got to experience and get exposure to all of those different things and it really pushed me to grow and excel.”

 “The internship is 0-100 overnight. I had 8 weeks to get into the culture of the company, understand their message, and understand what they are about. That was a challenge but I was able to get involved and immerse myself and have a big impact very quickly.”

Zvezda was able to gain not just marketing skills, but also develop herself as a professional. “The opportunities that you had to professionally develop yourself in a short period was really impactful to me. So many professionals are brought in which is really important. Everything was there in front of you, but you had to be willing to put yourself out there and reach out and grab it.” She continued, “It offers things that you can’t learn in a classroom. It’s real-life experiences and they give you the opportunity to learn straight from them.” One of the most important impacts that her internship helped her with included confidence. “The Internship propelled me to be confident and gave me a foundation to move forward with my career.”

Her biggest advice to future interns is to “Make the most of every bit. Really push yourself technically and professionally. Recognize that this is a unique opportunity to gain exposure and meet professionals and have one-on-one opportunities to talk to people you wouldn’t normally be able to talk to. Take advantage of everything that’s happening in those 10 hours a week with the people working at the startup and in your cohort and the professionals that advise you on the boards. Always be learning. There’s always an opportunity to be learning in the internship from both peers and mentors. “

If you’re looking to expand your social media skills, the CDE Summer Internship Clinic can be a great learning experience. Don’t miss your chance to meet amazing people, build your resume, and get paid!  Check out our website for more information and to keep up with all of our events.