When I had interviewed to become an intern at Native Digital, I had never heard of Project Management before. My intentions were to work as a Digital Marketing or Brand Strategy Intern with Project Management being my safety option: so you can imagine my shock when they asked me to interview for Project Management first. But, I went into the interview with a positive attitude and good intentions and about two weeks later they brought me onto the team. 

I was so nervous to work my first job in an agency, but my coworkers welcomed me with open arms and gave me an opportunity to make mistakes, grow, learn, and share a few laughs in between client work. Doing Project Management was definitely a learning curve and initially: I wasn’t that great. This kind of work requires attention to detail, risk management, and heavy problem-solving throughout the timeline. This in turn ensures the success of deliverables from its development to the launch, because you are there every step of the way. 

As I took on more clients and got into the role more, I continued to grow and adapt to the new pace and changes that came my way. Obstacles such as late client feedback didn’t stress me out nearly as much and I was able to get into the routine of anticipating change and being proactive in my work, not reactive. 

During my time, I also completed an internship project where I wrote a resource guide on any topic of my choosing within the marketing industry. During that time, Asian American hate crimes were at an all time high because of COVID-19 and I wanted to alter my deliverable so that it could have a long lasting impact on my coworkers. So, I focused my discussion on Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace and hosted a Lunch and Learn where we had some tough conversations. Working in a predominately white agency can be difficult sometimes, but I’m thankful that my team was able to listen with the intention of wanting to grow and be better. And in turn, they made me better too. 

Clients: The City of Mountain View, AltCap, Black Girls Code, JustPaddles, and Native Marketing.