“Dear Grace, SparkPost is pleased to offer you a position as a Social Media Marketing Intern.”
Initially, it took me a couple minutes to fully digest the email. Then it set in all at once. I screamed, did some air kicks, and treated myself to fancy Chinese food. That’s what everyone does after receiving an internship offer, right? But to understand how I got to SparkPost–and why I treated myself to fancy Chinese food–I have to take you back a couple months.
From Berkeley to Beijing
This past semester, I studied abroad at Peking University in Beijing. I’m a third-year at UC Berkeley, studying economics, but I’ve taken loads of Chinese classes for fun so China was the obvious place for me to study abroad. I checked every cliched study abroad experience off the list during my stay–traveling, meeting new people, and trying unusual new foods (deep-fried crickets are surprisingly delicious 😋 ). And of course, the occasional studying. Aside from the “typical” study abroad experience, I also interned at TEDxBeijing. They hired me as a social media intern and I created content for their American social media outlets.
Interning at TEDxBeijing helped me to understand the immense potential within social media, and compelled me to further explore its professional use. Some people think social media is futile, but its effects on the real world are anything but. Social media is–without a doubt–connecting and mobilizing people from opposite corners of the world, which are reasons why I love and use it. (Hey, we might even have a couple mutual friends on Facebook!) Another reason I love social media is because of its effective business utility. I run an online bakery called Grace Cho Bakes on Facebook, as of now, and I wouldn’t have that privilege if it weren’t for social media.
My Journey to Becoming a Marketing Intern
To be honest, I initially hadn’t planned on interning this summer because I wanted to spend it with my family. I had also interned the entire previous semester so you can see why I wanted to relax for three months. Despite the temptation of a lazy summer, I just couldn’t bring myself to it. I had built too much momentum from interning and traveling to just pause for three months.
So in early May, I hopped onto LinkedIn and my internship search officially commenced. I searched tirelessly for marketing internships located in my dream city, San Francisco. I’m a native Angeleno but San Francisco is undoubtedly where I belong. This city stretches me to learn and grow, despite how uncomfortable or unwilling I may be. It’s also home to an incomparable culture of awareness, progressiveness, and, my favorite, food. (I mean, have you been to Tartine?) So after I narrowed down my location, I created a spreadsheet to input every company I wanted to work at. And just a few minutes later, I had made my first entry.
I was searching for internships one day, as per my daily ritual, when I came across SparkPost’s listing for a social media marketing internship. SparkPost’s mission to help companies of all sizes succeed was enough incentive for me to apply, but its company culture was what ultimately hooked me. SparkPost truly values every employee’s voice. I guarantee you most companies don’t have an “Ask Us Anything” Slack channel for anyone, including interns, to ask the CEO, and other leaders, any question that comes to mind. I knew SparkPost and I were a good fit, so I sent in my application and prayed it didn’t go into a black hole or, even worse, spam. Luckily, SparkPost’s recruiter, Amara, received my application and later sent me an email to schedule an interview. Long story short: two interviews, one congratulatory email, and some grownup paperwork later, I arrived at SparkPost.
“Grace, Welcome to the Team”
On my first day of work, I was greeted at the door and given a tour around the office. Then I sat at my shiny new desk and had cupcakes delivered to me, courtesy of my new boss, with a note saying “Grace, Welcome to the Team.” I immediately felt the warmth of the people at SparkPost. In the three weeks I’ve been here, I’ve learned countless lessons about social media marketing and I rediscover its power every day. My two mentors, Jennifer, Marketing Programs Manager, and Tracy, Director of Inbound Marketing, teach me something new on a daily basis. Everything from writing gripping content that gains traction to using Marketo to send newsletters. They also challenge me to question every method and reason, which pushes me to learn quickly yet thoroughly.
My daily routine as a marketing intern is to monitor our corporate social media accounts and write content for them. If you read SparkPost’s Tweets, you might be reading what I wrote while I drink my Philz iced chai (sweet and creamy, of course). I also take on other exciting tasks, like writing my very own blogpost! And while I’m just an intern, I feel as equal and appreciated as everyone else in the office.
Finally, the answer to what many people have been asking. Why SparkPost as a marketing intern? Well, for one, I get paid to be on social media all day, which is my second favorite pastime after baking. I also get to learn about email and the tech industry while perusing social media outlets, transforming my daily activities into professional development. And because the kitchen pantry and fridge are always stocked, I never have to worry about being hungry. A bottle of Naked juice and toast for a 2pm snack? Don’t mind if I do.
Future Plans
As for my future plans, I’m taking a slightly different route. I want to open a bakery and use what I’ve learned as a marketing intern to promote and build it. I started baking when I was 11 and what started out as a summer hobby quickly intensified into a passion. However, I still want to stay involved in social media. Baking and social media are both ever-changing, exciting, and collaborative–everything I want my future to be.
– Grace
We’d love to hear about experiences you’ve had as an intern! Drop us a line below or give us a shout on Twitter.
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