By Samantha Zaputil, senior, public relations
This summer, I had the pleasure of working my second social media internship in Omaha, Nebraska. I worked with the marketing and communications department at a company called Lozier, a leader in manufacturing store fixtures. I’m sure you always see Lozier’s products without even realizing it! Target, Walmart and all your favorite stores display their products on Lozier’s shelving.
Outside of manufacturing, Lozier is a company that always gives back to its community. I had the pleasure of capturing events that Lozier was involved in, including the Heartland Pride Parade and the Juneteenth Parade. I had many opportunities to grow in my creative abilities, from creating social media campaigns, writing articles, running all social media accounts, and taking photos and videos, to helping out around the office with our event planner and trying to learn whatever I could throughout the department.
Lozier’s internship program was curated to make everyone feel welcome and meet new people. Throughout the summer, interns from all departments got together for lunches and games, and we even got to volunteer at a local Kids Can Community Center. The environment at Lozier allowed everyone to ask questions and get onboarded very quickly. Within my first few days, I met so many people and worked closely with them all, which was very interesting. Everyone on the team has unique strengths that they use to strengthen the work produced.
My favorite part of my internship was being able to make connections with everyone in the marketing and communications department. Lozier truly cares so much about their employees. I was nervous being away from home and starting a new job around people I didn’t know, but they always did kind things for me, including getting me a cake for my birthday! The work-life balance at this company really makes everyone feel valued. Everyone works well together and cares about what’s happening outside the workplace. For example, we had team meetings where everyone discussed three main things they were working on and where they need help. It was amazing to see the teamwork this team has. Being involved in creative campaign meetings was very fun; seeing everyone brainstorm and come up with ideas felt like all the work I’d done at Iowa State was coming alive.
I learned many skills needed for this internship at the Greenlee School and couldn’t be more thankful for the program, professors, and classmates that helped me get to this point in my professional career. I am also thankful for the scholarship I received through the Greenlee School that helped immensely with the living costs of moving four hours away from home.
Once my internship was ending, the director of marketing and communications asked me if I would be interested in continuing as a part of the team during my last semester. I have accepted the offer to continue with my internship until I graduate this December, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience I’ve had this far. Although I will miss being in the office, I am extremely grateful to be able to work remotely with Lozier. I am ecstatic to be graduating from the Greenlee School with so much experience, and it’s thanks to the 400-hour internship program!
Editor’s note: Edited for length and clarity. Greenlee 499A internship scholarships support students who have a primary major in advertising, journalism and mass communication or public relations and are completing their required 400-hour internships. The application is available each spring.