Hello Again: I'm a "fourth year"

Hello everyone! Long time no see, or long time no read?

I hope you had a great summer and that you're enjoying the lingering summer temperatures.  Shout outs to members of the Tufts Class of 2016! We're seniors now, so that means we are the most experienced and mature trailblazers on campus getting ready to enter the real world. It's all so bittersweet. But graduation is still far away so we have plenty of time to catch up and prepare!

I kicked off this summer traveling with my mom and grandmother throughout Italy for 10 days. It was so beautiful and amazing, and little did I know that it would actually help me with my internship. That we will get to later. We started in Rome, went to Sorrento, Florence and later flew out of Rome. I love to travel and haven't gone on a trip with my family in a long time, so it was super nostalgic. When I was little we spent time at resorts, and my family would drop me off at the kid's club. It's great now to be able to share more of the traveling experience. (Sorry for getting so anxious about missing trains and flights, Mom)

My Mom, Me, and Grandmother. Three generations on a mission at Pompeii!

In June I started as an Account Coordinator Intern for SapientNitro's NYC office. SapientNitro is a global marketing/advertising and consulting agency, which is headquartered in Boston, that focuses on the integration of technology and storytelling to engage consumers in a constantly changing world. SapientNitro mainly focuses on creating digital marketing campaigns for clients, while also integrating strategy insights to tell a story in both the physical and virtual spheres.

Now you might ask, what exactly is an Account Coordinator? An Account Coordinator role serves as a liaison between an agency and their client. They help to bridge the gap of communication to the client during the inception and creation of projects, while also working and overseeing internal departments (strategy, program management, experience designers, creatives, etc.) to make sure the work is addressing the client's concerns.

Looking at Nutella all day and not eating it is an acquired skill

So going back to my earlier hint - this past summer I worked with the Nutella USA team!  Who doesn't love Nutella?! It's an Italian spread which has quickly taken over the world, and several college campuses. What was great about my internship was the flexibility to work within domains outside of the Account Coordinator role with the Nutella brand. I learned about social media analytics, marketing, and presenting. The result? A more thorough understanding of how the advertising world works.

The internship program was especially great because I was able to talk with others in different domains, ask questions, and understand their roles at SapientNitro. The work culture is definitely a place where I felt comfortable (as I was able to rock sneakers everyday, perfect for the Westchester to NYC commute). It is an open, focused and fun space where talented and smart people thrive together. I was really excited about being able to experience the creative side of advertising through helping conceptualize new content for different social media platforms, attending Nutella photo shoots, and working with a spectacular group of innovative people. Merging analytical knowledge with creative was extremely interesting to me and is a great strength for SapientNitro. All I can say is: SapientNitro, you guys are the "bee's knees!"

2015 SapientNitro NYC Summer Interns accidentally color coordinating on the last day

Throughout the summer I also attended keynote speeches and business events with my Mom at the Harvard Business School Club in NYC. It was interesting to meet so many different people pushing the boundaries of business and marketing in various capacities. So maybe there's grad school in my future? Eventually.  I guess that calls for a later blog post.

After having to say grazie and arrivederci to SapientNitro and all my fellow summer interns, I returned to campus as a pre-orientation leader for the Tufts F.I.T Program. Shout outs to Group #4 "F.I.T of the Wrist!" I enjoyed greeting the incoming class of 2019 while trying to get some of their youth to rub off on me. Being a mentor is really awesome - you are not only giving advice to incoming first years, but you also learn from your mentees and co-leaders. My group was awesome!

F.I.T Pre-Orientation Group #4: "F.I.T of Da Wrist"

I'm so excited to be back on campus and to see new and old faces. Our blogger team this year is looking to take up right where we left off and provide our readers with amazing posts! We will explore our own career development as well as spotlight resources and topics that can help college students during their journey to graduation and beyond. And of course, there will be great jokes and classic gifs sprinkled in between.

Welcome back everyone!

Carpe Diem,

Nicole Brooks
Class of 2016