At Trident United Way, our interns don’t make copies—they contribute to fulfilling the mission of Trident United Way. From participating in brainstorming sessions to website editing to photography, our interns are essential members of the team during the busy summer season in the Marketing and Communications department. Read the Reflections below to hear about the experiences.
From: St. Paris, Ohio
College: Ohio University
Studying: Strategic Communication
Why did you want to intern with Trident United Way? (TUW)
I’m from small-town Ohio, so I took a big chance on applying for this internship and I wasn’t even sure if they’d accept someone coming from so far away. Trident United Way’s Human Resources Director, Ulli Kranz, actually had to call me and make sure that I knew I had applied for an internship in South Carolina! I had visited Charleston the previous summer, and just thought “Why not?” when I was searching for internships. TUW popped up on my Google search and I decided to just go for it! After learning more about their mission and having a super comfortable interview with Christy Boudolf, VP of Communications & Volunteer Engagment, I knew that TUW would be a perfect fit for me.
What was your favorite project during your internship?
Ah! Just one?!
I think my favorite project that I was a part of was Day of Action. TUW’s first Day of Action event was geared towards senior citizens, and I was assigned to take photos at the Dorchester Senior Center for a games day. I met three of the funniest ladies at the center and played a very intense game of Kings in the Corner with them. You could just tell that all of the seniors were so thankful for the fun day TUW provided them - the smiles and excitement on their faces said it all.
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment.
I think my proudest accomplishment so far has been packing up part of my life and moving to Charleston for three months to intern for TUW! It was a leap of faith and I’m so happy I took it. The internship gave me some of the best experiences that I’ll carry with me forever! I learned so much and really felt like I was part of the TUW team, and not “just an intern,” which made my experience so much more personal and rewarding.
What should everyone add to their Charleston bucket list?
One of my favorite things I did during my stay in Charleston was going downtown for a night-time ghost tour! My friend was visiting me at the time, and we both love history and all things spooky, so it definitely seemed like our kind of experience. There’s SO much history jampacked into Charleston that I never knew about, and our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable on all of it. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone!
Where do you want to be in 10 years?
I change my mind nearly every day on what profession I’d like to go into, so looking 10 years into the future can be a little hard for me to picture! I’ve gone from wanting to work for student affairs at a university, to wedding planning, to nonprofit, to a business owner. Who knows where I’ll end up! I wouldn’t be surprised if I dipped my toe into all of my aspirations for at least a little while. No matter where I end up in 10 years, I just hope that I am happy in all aspects of life and that my career brings me JOY.