TBT: Samantha Baker!

Samantha Baker:

from Marketing Intern to Campaign Manager

Sam Baker, an upstate New York-native, quickly adapted to the Long Island culture her Freshman year in 2009. Sam was an active resident on campus, majoring in Business Management and minoring in Marketing. This impressive young lady received scholarships in recognition of her academic and community involvement, and was a member of the Levermore Global Scholars Program. Although not a major, Samantha took part in the Psychology Club, hoping to broaden her educational experience and deepen her understanding of human interaction and consumerism. 

In the fall of her Junior year, Sam was a Public Relations intern and learned the ropes of working in fast-paced Manhattan. During this time, Sam  communicated with magazine editors regarding featured products, created product packages, and wrote press releases. When it came time to pursue her second internship, Sam was more-than-qualified to apply for the Community Fellows Program (CFP) and work in the non-profit sector. Not only was Sam qualified, but she was prepared, determined, and destined to take this path that would positively impact her career trajectory. For the summer months, Sam was a Marketing Intern at the Institute for Student Achievement (ISA). She worked on marketing the new curriculum that the company designed for under-performing school districts in NY. Because it was focused on increasing high-school graduation rates and even college attendance rates, the long term effects on these communities was incredible. Sam said that this was a rewarding opportunity that helped prepare her for the working world and understand how businesses operate. 

Within this internship opportunity, Sam wrote press releases, developed web content, promoted products, coordinated social media, conducted market research, and worked at corporate events. When we asked Sam to discuss her internship with us, she said this: 

"I liked the environment of ISA and knew that I wanted to work in a similar environment in the future. I liked that it was small enough to know everyone in the company but large enough to really make an impact in the industry.   While I do not work for a non-profit now, I work for a start-up tech company in which a lot of the aspects are similar to my internship."

Currently, as mentioned above, Sam works at a start-up tech company, called Unruly, as a Campaign Manager in New York City. According to Sam, "understanding how the different departments interacted with each other and learning how overall goals varied across those departments is a skill that [she] has been able to take with [her] to other jobs." For those of you lucky ducks who have been selected to partake in the CFP internship, Sam offers to you a piece of advice: 

"You will gain as much as you want to gain from this internship.  Ask as many questions as possible, and be vocal about what job tasks interest you (and what tasks don’t interest you.) A lot of non-profits have an “all hands on deck” approach, so it’s a great opportunity to get involved in projects that you may have thought you were under-qualified for."

As the summer months approach, finish up strong, enjoy the beautiful weather, and get prepared to get involved in your internship!!! Don't forget to check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, to follow the journey of our CFPs as they immerse themselves in their non-profits and experiential learning experiences! 

DON'T BE THIS GUY!! GET BUSY AND GET INVOLVED!!!