Kate Smith ’22 is a marketing major at the Barney School of Business who, after graduation, aspires to join start-ups and help them grow through her marketing skills. Apart from being a dynamic student, she is also treasurer of Phi Mu, a sorority on campus, and co-president of DECA.
Despite the tough times across the globe due to COVID-19, Smith is not letting this pandemic disrupt her career aspirations. She successfully finished her internship with Fuchs Financial, a financial advising company, during the fall semester of 2020. Smith joined their team as a marketing intern, where she was in charge of social media and media communications.
During her time at the company, she says she got a chance to explore and leverage her skill sets with various tasks at hand. She believes this opportunity has helped her gain the first-hand experience of creating content for Fuchs Financial’s social media profiles, editing content on their web pages, and creating pitch presentations for the company’s public relations activities. For Smith, the most exciting part of her internship was to improve her company’s social media engagements with the organic content she posted. Over the past few years, social media has disrupted both the business and marketing worlds. Every company has realized the potential of social media and is relying on creative minds like Smith’s to create an impact through the medium. UHart curriculum is designed keeping all these aspects in mind, to provide students with the knowledge and confidence that is required when they step into the real world of business.
Smith says that what she learned in her classes has prepared her to step into the professional work environment. She says, “The Barney School helped prepare me for the real world and for my internship with the different classes offered that are relevant to my field. I applied the consumer behavior theories I learned in class when it came to figuring out how to properly market to my target audience.”
She summarized her internship experience by saying, “One thing that was great for me throughout this internship was that I had the creative freedom to do whatever I felt would be best marketing-wise. This opportunity prepared me for my future in marketing.” Extending her gratitude, she says, “I want to thank my boss at Fuchs Financial, Ben Fuchs, for giving me this opportunity to help him grow his marketing program and giving me creative liberty. Also, I want to thank Dr. Lofink for being an amazing mentor, friend, and professor. I would be nowhere without her.”
Kate Smith '22, Marketing MajorThe Barney School helped prepare me for the real world and for my internship with the different classes offered that are relevant to my field. I applied the consumer behavior theories I learned in class when it came to figuring out how to properly market to my target audience.