Internship Reflection Blog Post

This blog post is a reflection of my fall 2025 internship answering some specific questions.

• What SMART goals were met, which weren’t?  

At the start of my internship I set three SMART goals to try and accomplish by the end of my internship. Now that I am nearing the end of my internship, it is time to look back at these and consider if I was able to complete them all. The first was to improve my professional email writing skills, when compared to the beginning of my internship, through the use of templates in order to not only help my career but to decrease the workload of my supervisors by the end of my internship. I completed this SMART goal exactly how I thought, through the use of templates as well as proof reading to now being able to easily draft up professional emails to sponsors. The second goal was to gain confidence in working on my own tasks at work through starting with hands-on help but slowly doing things on my own in order to better help the company by the end of my internship. This goal was also completed as I have now had multiple days in the office simply working alone and being able to accomplish my work without additional supervision. The third and final goal I set at the beginning of the internship was to learn how to write invoices easily through the use of examples in order to fulfill my responsibilities for my internship. This goal was definitely accomplished after I wrote at least 25 invoices during my internship and needed no reference by the end of how to correctly fill them out. 

• How has your internship experience shaped your views of your major and/or your career aspirations or plans? (What new career paths or roles have you discovered through your internship experience?)

This internship has been able to show me the potential I have in the communications field. Of course there are many options when it comes to communications, but seeing the event planning side really puts that into perspective. I originally chose my focus in strategic communications because of my interest in event planning and I found this internship was able to solidify that I enjoy it even more. The leadership and events management course I took at ODU was able to help me have a better understanding of what I could potentially be working on in event planning but the internship grew my knowledge even more. With this, I was able to remain calm on the day-of and help manage set up, knowing that the correct preparations had already happened before. Also during my internship, I learned that one of my coworkers is also a strategic communications major who works on social media for VisitNorfolk. I found it really interesting to see all the potential in my major throughout my internship.

• What new knowledge, skills, and abilities did you gain by completing this experience? Provide specific examples and demonstrations of your work. (What skills or experiences from your internship do you think will be most valuable in your future career?)

I went into the internship with a general understanding of the word suite but I have gained a much better understanding now. I created invoices within excel as well as using it to organize information for the golf tournament. Additionally, I was able to write a draft press release about the scholarship winners we announced during my time there which can be found on my intern page. I had previously learned about press release writing in my strategic communication writing course but seeing how VisitNorfolk wrote press releases and the differences was really informative. I was also asked to write a PDCA, which I had never done, that allowed me time to understand what went good and bad during the event. This can also be found on my internship page. I went into the internship with strong organizational skills but this allowed me to gain a much better understanding of what was helpful in organizing. I created a folder for next year's golf tournament ahead of time filled with templates, emails to send to sponsors, and a potential sponsor sheet. I looked back through previous years and decided what was most helpful throughout the tournament planning process this year and found this to really give me a better understanding of organization.

• What's next for you professionally?

When looking ahead for me professionally, I plan to do another internship next semester in the spring. I have begun applying already and hope to secure the Executive Intern position with the City of Norfolk following the interview I have scheduled. If I do not secure this position, the Norfolk Tourism Foundation has already asked that I intern for them again with different responsibilities. This semester had more of a specific focus on event planning and preparation while next semester would be more of an inside look at nonprofit management. Following graduation, I hope to continue working in Norfolk with one of the companies I intern with.

• What advice would you offer future interns working at the same location?

The best advice I can give to future interns working at the same location is to enjoy the experience. I truly did not let myself get comfortable with everyone I worked with and the tasks until I was basically done. There are so many amazing people that work with VisitNorfolk and the Norfolk Tourism Foundation and I truly wish I could continue to work with them. I have been offered opportunities to help in different areas of the company that I would not have seen otherwise and it really showed me the potential I have in my major. My advice would be to go to every additional event you can and make every connection they offer you.