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This summer, I am working in the marketing department at one of the largest private industries in the country. [Kum & Go](https://www.kumandgo.com/) operates in 11 states and manages over 430 stores, so since the first day I have learned an exceptional amount of organization strategy and department focuses.

While beginning the internship search in the fall, I wanted to land a job that provided real business experience. So far, that is exactly what I am doing. This summer, I will help drive traffic to under-performing stores with improvements for the rewards app and have opportunities to shadow the advertising agency Kum & Go works with in Des Moines, [Flynn Wright](http://www.flynnwright.com/).

My favorite experience so far happened on my second day — I edited a press release for the opening of a “Go Fresh Market” in Arkansas. My supervisor, Kristie Bell, is the communications director and designates tasks that challenge me to use my resources and critical thinking skills. I appreciate the initiative the marketing department has provided to help understand the process of marketing Kum & Go.

Kum & Go released the [&Rewards](https://rewards.kumandgo.com/) program this spring, and one of many projects I will work on is creating a tutorials that explains how to register. My focus is to help non-tech-savvy users navigate the system and reduce the confusion of being a rewards member. I will also test product offers to a variety of customers based on shopping habits and the specific wording of offers on the app.

Since the beginning of my internship, I have met with marketing, rewards, site development, philanthropy and the customer service departments to understand the functions of each and how Kum & Go differentiates themselves besides competitors. An important part of adapting to a new work environment is meeting people in the organization and networking with them to see what interests you. I changed my major after an internship last summer because of a shadow in a different department, so I think that is the most important part of any internship experience; find out what you like!

The most important part of this internship will be presenting my project on August 11, where I will report my research of the &Rewards program to the senior leaders. This meeting will even include Kyle Krause, the president and CEO of Kum & Go!