What I learned as an HS intern

When I showed up to HS on my first day, I had no idea what to expect but was excited to challenge myself in the big white cube on the corner of 69th and Western. Waiting for me on my desk that day was a note that said, “Welcome to the team Lacey! Get ready for some serious creative-thinking-beer-drinking-crazy-partying time” which I think sums up my time at HS pretty well. Although I was a copywriting intern, I got to wear many hats this summer. Depending on the day, I helped set up the studio, sat in on meetings and conference calls, assisted on photo shoots, learned about web design from our web developer, and wrote blogs, client features, or social media posts. I even got the opportunity to work with a start-up and can’t wait to see how far it goes! And, as the summer went on, and my responsibilities grew, I gained confidence in my writing. I started with proofreading brochures and packets and now I’m staying on remotely to create content and write blogs from Houston for one of our clients. I have always done creative stuff in my free time, but to have those skills validated in a professional setting, was a pivotal moment for me. It confirmed that the really tough decision I made to leave the medical field and instead pursue Journalism was, ultimately, the right decision. I’m not sure I could boil my time here down to one distinct memory, but rather it was a collection of moments—the ridiculous topics that come up at design meetings, learning “industry speak,” the openness of these 20 marketing experts to take me under their wings and teach me about their areas of expertise, getting to watch how something goes from an idea to a final product, the funny way we all subconsciously try to distract each other on Fridays—to name a few. This internship never failed to keep me on my toes. From taping Kirby to the floor to seeing Jason wrapped up in vinyl to witnessing the wrestling alter egos of my coworkers that came out at the HS Summer Smackdown, I often had a hard time explaining what all goes on here to my friends and family. All I could do was joke, “just your average Wednesday at HS” with a shrug. I was lucky to be a part of the craziness for the summer and couldn’t have asked for a better internship. The team here didn’t treat me like the bottom of the totem pole (or send me on any office coffee runs…they’ve got this crazy contraption called a Keurig). Instead, they valued my work and encouraged me to use them as a resource for any advice or questions about the industry. I’m thrilled to take what I’ve learned here and see where it leads me in the future. Intern out– Lacey Cink