How WCM's summer intern found confidence in her career

September 10, 2021

WCM recently said farewell to our Summer intern, Vanessa Reed. Vanessa is a Bachelor of Arts student at Wilfrid Laurier studying Economics with Management Option and an Environmental Studies Minor. After spending the summer with WCM, Vanessa shared 3 lessons she learned through her internship.

As an Environmental Studies Minor, I have a strong interest in sustainability and developed a new interest in EDI, thanks to my role at WCM.

Additionally, I strengthened my interest in marketing into a passion that I cannot wait to develop more in the future.

This summer I had the opportunity to intern with WCM’s Marketing and Communications team. My experience with the organization was exceptional. The team was so welcoming and everyone taught me a lot. I had many learnings over the course of the summer, but here are three things that I will be taking away from this internship:

  1. My new knowledge for social media marketing: This summer I learned how much work goes into making one social media post. This includes brainstorming, researching, and many rough drafts.
  2. Confidence in my career direction: My internship with WCM solidified my confidence in pursuing marketing as my career in the future. I really enjoyed how every day is different and how you are constantly changing your ideas to bigger and better ones after discussions with the team.
  3. Believe in yourself: Coming into the position with very little marketing experience, I struggled with imposter syndrome, however, as I began learning new skills, I became more and more confident in the position. What really helped me was how supportive my manager, Neema, was. She always took the time to explain new projects to me and was always willing to answer my questions.

I want to give a big thank you to WCM for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this team. I really appreciate everything I’ve learned this summer.

What is your reaction to the fact that the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women will be chaired by a man?