Intern Insight: New Members Join the Team

Recently, two new staff members joined the Chattanooga Chamber’s Marketing and Community Engagement team. Daniel Taylor joined as an Events Intern in December. In this role, Taylor is responsible for assisting with planning and logistics for networking events, top investor events and signature events including Open House 2022.

On Tuesday, Ariana Medina joined the Chamber’s editorial team as a Writing/Communications Intern. In this role, Medina will handle a range of editorial, public relations and marketing assignments with an emphasis on writing content for our Business Trend and ChattanoogaTrend.com.

TREND spoke with these new interns to learn more about their experience and future goals:

Ariana Medina, Writing/Communications Intern, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce

TREND: Tell us about yourself and what led you to apply for a Chamber internship.

Medina: I’m a proud Puerto Rican raised in Tennessee with a passion for learning. I am a senior public relations major at Lee University, and a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America. In November, I attended a PRSA/PRSSA networking event in Chattanooga where I first met the Chamber’s Social Media and PR Specialist, Yasmin Rubayo, and she told me about the Chamber internship. I decided to apply after hearing about her positive experience working at the Chamber. In addition, I saw it as a great opportunity to develop my communication skills and take what I’ve been learning outside of the classroom setting.  

TREND: What do you hope to gain from this experience?  

Medina: I am looking forward to learning more about the Chattanooga area and the role that the Chamber plays. Through this experience, my hope is to make meaningful connections while learning new skills and gaining hands-on communication experience.  
 

TREND: Where do you see yourself in the next five years? And, how do you hope the Chamber will help you get there?  

Medina: After graduating from Lee, I intend on completing a master’s degree in mass communications. Afterward, I see myself working in the public relations industry or working on a Ph.D. with the goal of providing insights to public relations practitioners. I believe the Chamber is setting me up to have solid experience working in communications that will set me up to succeed in graduate studies because I’ll have more practical and not just theoretical knowledge.  

Daniel Taylor, Events Intern, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce

TREND: Tell us about yourself and what led you to apply for a Chamber internship. 

Taylor: I am a senior marketing major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Since my time at the university, I have been involved in a variety of different areas on our campus such as the admissions office as a tour guide and orientation leader. I was also involved in the Student Government Association as a senator and executive member, as well as a member of a variety of different clubs and organizations at UTC. 

I have been working at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce as an Events Intern for a little over a month now. I applied to the Chamber because I wanted to gain real-world experience and use what I’ve learned during my time at the UTC Rollins College of Business. So far, I have gained many new skills that will be quintessential in any career path.

TREND: What do you hope to gain with this experience? 

Taylor: I hope to learn and acquire new skills that will help me succeed in a future career in business. I have already learned new skills such as email marketing, invoicing and preparing for major events. I look forward to continuing to learn and gain new skills and knowledge during my Chamber experience and I am grateful for this incredible opportunity.

TREND: Where do you see yourself in the next five years? And, how do you hope the Chamber will help you get there? 

Taylor: In the next five years, I see myself continuing to live in the best city in the world —Chattanooga— and working in marketing at a company that shares my passions and beliefs. I plan to work diligently and hopefully become the marketing director of a company. 

I think the Chamber will help me reach these goals by teaching me how to effectively market through a variety of different platforms. I also hope to grow my network which will help me achieve these goals after graduation.