Hometown: Palatine, IL

Major & Class Standing: Spanish, Social Relations & Policy; Junior

Instagram: @catenovak

Internship organization name: Islamic Relief España

Location: Remote

Program: Independent

My title is Communications and Marketing Intern. I am responsible for designing and executing social media marketing campaigns (Instagram, Facebook) for the organization’s winter fundraising effort, curating original content for Islamic Relief España’s Instagram page using Canva to engage an audience of 14.1K, and relying on Spanish communication skills to complete weekly updates of content, brainstorming, and creation of creative advertising campaigns for supervisor feedback.

My daily routine included communicating with my supervisor and completing tasks pertinent to the goals of Islamic Relief España. Each week I worked on a different project, so there was a lot of variety and no two weeks were the same. 

I obtained my internship through the Global Remote Internship Program with MSU’s College of Arts and Letters. The company that Michigan State uses, Connect-123, were the ones to pair me with an amazing organization that exactly matched what I want my future career to look like.

My favorite part of the internship was being able to utilize my Spanish skills in a real world setting. Not only did I practice comprehension and producing the Spanish language, but I’m constantly learning new words and phrases as a result of communicating with my internship supervisor.

My least favorite part of the internship was that it was virtual. I would have preferred an in-person internship in Spain, but with Covid-19, this was not possible at the current time.

I learned that marketing and social media relations are two industries that are constantly changing. There is so much constant creativity and innovation in these industries, and to be successful in them, you must keep up with the current trends and be extremely dedicated. My future plans are to graduate in a year and then pursue a full-time career based in Chicago.

My Spanish comprehension and speaking skills have developed tremendously as a result of this internship. I also have been learning how to use new software like Adobe, which will help in any future career I pursue.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try something new! You can learn so much from an internship, push yourself to do something outside of your comfort zone!