As someone who moved around frequently in recent years, I’ve always chased a sense of community. This led me to relocate to Chattanooga in August of 2021. I wanted to integrate my life into the Scenic City, and the Chamber of Commerce offered that exact opportunity.
From meeting with members of Chattanooga’s business community to growing my knowledge and experience in a number of ways, my experience as a Chamber intern built the foundation for my future career.
I am working to attain a bachelor’s degree in marketing at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. The experiences during my internship allowed me to translate my new knowledge from university into real-world skills.
My hybrid internship started via Zoom as the Chamber was still working virtually when the Covid variants were at large. I met with Cheryl Millsaps, Vice President of Operations, and Abdiel Vallejo-Lopez, Senior Creative Manager, for my first interview with the Chamber, having no idea how much I would grow in the year to follow. I was accepted as the new marketing intern, and I was immediately welcomed by the entire team despite only being reachable through screen.
When social distancing measures lifted, I found opportunities to meet my new Chamber team in person through networking events, office lunches and office-work days while maintaining a productive remote-work experience. This hybrid-style internship proved to be invaluable.
After the onboarding process, I was given my first lead for an article that was published on Business Trend. This was my first glimpse into the world of professional writing.
This experience solidified a passion for writing that I had not discovered before then. I was assigned one or two articles per week for the majority of my internship, interviewing the business community and learning what it means to be an entrepreneur in Chattanooga.
Additionally to writing for Trend, I applied my knowledge to other outlets like the Chamber’s social media platforms. I helped create social media posts and assisted in generating content for the editorial calendars.
My time as a Chattanooga Chamber intern offered me opportunities that I did not know I was seeking. This work has helped me grow as a writer, an employee and as a person – helping me build pathways to my future success. I am beyond grateful for the experiences I had with an outstanding group of coworkers who walked alongside me as I developed new skills and worked to find my place in Chattanooga.
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Are you looking to take part in the Chattanooga Chamber’s Writing/Communications Internship? Opportunities are now available.
Submit a resume and three writing samples or portfolio to [email protected]. Include a brief cover email explaining why you’re a good fit and what you’d like to learn through an internship experience with us.
Learn more about our internship program, here.
