For many high school students, summer break brings the potential for exciting new opportunities: relaxing, preparing for the new school year, and, in this case, even interning at Aeries!
We were pleased to work with Tustin Unified School District in Orange County, California, to bring aboard three interns to our Sales & Marketing Division this summer.
This exciting new program allowed us to gain valuable insight and knowledge from such an important stakeholder group while providing students a dynamic workspace for hands-on learning.
Alongside Sonia Cassatt, Director of Sales, and Natasha Perera, Marketing & Communications Manager, the internship team dove into the foundations of sales, marketing, branding, advertising, research, communications, social media, and so much more.
Let’s turn it over to Rikesh, Yiqi, and Zack to hear about their biggest takeaways.
1. A Workplace Can Be a Classroom… But Everyone is a Teacher
During this internship, it was fascinating to learn so much about the Sales & Marketing Division and its role within a company. Creating and sharing ideas was enjoyable, but what intrigued us the most was sharing ideas with staff.
As direct customers, we had the opportunity to engage with several different departments. We freely expressed our thoughts on what we loved about Aeries and areas that could be enhanced.
Getting another point of view from end users was beneficial for the employees and us interns. It felt refreshing to feel like we had knowledge to share.
2. Coffee is Key, for Several Reasons
A perk of working at Aeries is the fancy espresso machine offered in the breakroom. Besides the great morning pick-me-up, it’s where we gathered, fueled up, and engaged in lively conversations, sharing ideas with others outside of Sales & Marketing.
These candid conversations allowed us to connect with Aeries employees and share ideas about the company as a whole. The trusty coffee machine became an integral part of our workplace culture, uniting us and fueling both our bodies and our camaraderie.
3. Family Matters
The very first day we interned with Aeries, we learned about Jerry Lloyd’s impact on the student data industry. We met numerous times with President Brent Lloyd, who spoke about how he upholds his grandfather’s legacy. The Lloyds have created an environment where employees – and even us interns – felt like part of the Aeries family.
The empowering culture at Aeries stems from their genuine passion for educators and students.
4. We Discovered Something New Every Day
The best part of the workflow during our internship at Aeries was how much fluidity there was to what we learned. One day would focus on campaigns, and the next, it could be preparing for a day of filming and creating storyboards.
Each week would build on the last with the knowledge we learned each day. Interning at Aeries allowed for so much learning. Still, each day was new and exciting, preventing any type of burnout.
5. Growing is Out of Your Comfort Zone
Some of us weren’t sure if we wanted to do an internship this summer because it felt daunting. It was the first time we had made a resume and participated in an interviewing process. However, even when the internship had some new types of projects that were awkward, scary, or uncomfortable, we all learned how to accomplish them together.
As the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” We learned to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and will continue to have this mindset in the future. The staff leading the program really had a commitment to growth and fostered an environment of comfort and empowerment.
6. Creations Have an Impact
It was clear that we weren’t brought in to the team to fetch someone coffee or to file random papers. We were challenged to be creative and design ideas that would actually be used. The three of us were all chosen because we had different strengths and interests, but could all work together on a team.
It was exhilarating to use our creativity and analytical skills to create unique posts and campaigns and evaluate their effectiveness. Each intern brought a unique perspective to the table, resulting in a dynamic and fun learning experience. Plus, we get to see our impact in the “real world”!
7. Sales Is About the Big Things … but Also the Little Things
Building strong relationships, meeting customers’ needs, providing exceptional service, differentiating from competitors, maintaining attention to detail, and driving continual improvement all contribute to successful sales.
It’s important to think about the human connections we make. These little things can go a long way, so paying attention and noticing the details is important!
8. Marketing is More than Images and Colors
Marketing involves strategic planning, market research, branding, strong communication, customer relationship management, sales support, and so much more. As interns, we dove into marketing strategies and learned about the technicalities involved in creating effective marketing materials, such as the number of fonts to use.
Whether it’s the area you want to market to, the message you want to convey, or the social media platform, we all learned something new and experienced firsthand how to build out a marketing campaign from beginning to end.
Why Internships Matter
In conclusion, our experience as interns in the Aeries Sales and Marketing Division was remarkable. We gained experience in the professional sector and learned so much. Each day brought fresh and rewarding experiences.
So, whether you are a student or a business, participating in an internship is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you don’t want to miss!
A special thanks to Alita Salazar, the College and Career Coordinator, and Pashia Escoto, the work-based learning technician at Tustin Unified School District, for their efforts in making this partnership a success! For questions about this internship program, please contact Natasha Perera.