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The Intern Diaries: First Month as the New Intern

Sometimes everything happens for a reason, and I can say that with how this summer has played out. Before I tell the story about how I landed this internship with Smarter Searches, let me introduce myself. Hi! I’m Noa! I am an incoming junior at UT, studying public relations. I am a Memphis native, so clearly, my favorite food is BBQ nachos. If you ever dare talk badly about the Kardashians or Taylor Swift to me, you should watch your back, and that’s just a little about me. I was supposed to be interning for a magazine in Tel Aviv, indulging my face with falafel every day. Instead, my Israeli adventure was canceled, due to coronavirus. My parents told me I could stay quarantined with them or head back to Knoxville. After two months quarantining with them, it was time, as a college kid, to get away from them again. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the quality time, but it was definitely time to head out. When I got back to Knoxville, I really didn’t have a plan on what my summer would be. I planned on taking accounting and tanning every day, and that was about it. 

Luckily, my PR professor from UT reached out to me about an opportunity to intern for a company called Smarter Searches. I immediately googled their website and was sold on their workplace culture. Their website really appealed to a Gen Z-er who gets distracted by clean website design and cool transitions. I asked my professor to send over my resume, and soon enough, I was being interviewed by Courtney and Chris. I remember feeling overdressed in my professional blazer. That’s when I soon realized this office was the place for me. Chris was wearing jeans, and I was able to talk about my love for reality TV with Courtney. I was thrilled to hear I got the internship. Now I’m here writing blogs and designing infographics, which, for a PR student, is really fun. The office banter and the fun personalities make my Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday so much fun, which is not what I expected this summer. I have already learned so much about the entertaining world of communications by listening in on meetings about clients, learning the different brands, and hanging out with everyone who works here.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and that is definitely what happened here. I am so excited to be a part of the Smarter Searches family. Coronavirus actually did me a favor because now I landed an awesome first internship.