Hello everyone! My name is Teresa Buzzoni! It is my great pleasure to reflect on my time serving as the Communications Intern this summer.
My L.A.C.E.S. beginning
When I joined L.A.C.E.S., I had just finished my sophomore year at Syracuse University. Filled with bright ideas and opportunities to grow the social media and communications, I came to Seren and Leah with a mind full of ideas to try. My wonderful bosses were gracious and welcomed my ideas with open minds. This opportunity to learn by doing allowed me to put my education to work to help the brand grow. This summer, I worked virtually as a result of Covid-19, but I was always searching for opportunities to join my coworkers in Washington D.C.
My L.A.C.E.S. journey
L.A.C.E.S. gave me the opportunity to set my creativity to work. I was challenged with the opportunity of creating a social media calendar that organized content across four platforms. While the task appeared daunting at first, I was able to learn quickly. I created hundreds of graphics, began implementing analytics behind strategy and proposed outlets to cover current events and pitch larger brands.
A few of my favorite moments with L.A.C.E.S.
Perhaps one of my favorite moments with L.A.C.E.S. came from the out of the box ideas that I proposed to Leah and Seren. When we entered our team meetings, we would brainstorm ideas. Whenever I proposed a new idea to the group, Leah and Seren would always welcome it.
A few weeks ago, the Olympics were beginning to be publicized. It was announced that there was going to be a Refugee Olympic team. When hearing about it, I pitched several athletes to be featured on our Instagram. Reading more news, I came across a brand called Telfar, which was a Liberian-American brand who were designing the uniforms for the Liberian Olympic team. In a meeting with Seren, she suggested we pitch to the brand. The Telfar account, with 919,000 followers, seemed like a giant compared to the accounts that I had worked with before. However, Seren encouraged me to create pitch materials. The experience allowed me to see the impact of my writing and gain confidence interacting with brands that I had grown up seeing in magazines and on the news.
Leah and Seren welcomed me to Washington D.C. for two weeks to help them with their summer camp. From the first day of my arrival, I was entrusted with the responsibility of transporting supplies, helping organize coaches and gathering content for the social media platforms. While there, I was able to interview several youth about their experiences coming to America. Their recounts of experiences and the moments that they shared with me changed my thoughts and my heart. I am so grateful for them entrusting me with their stories and to L.A.C.E.S. for giving me the opportunity to learn from them. I can’t wait to see them shared with you.
What this experience meant to me
This internship has made all of the difference in my professional career and the way that I view my education. I gained confidence, and watched my design abilities grow. Working closely with Leah, I was able to observe her design experience improve my drafts and proposals. Over the few months that I spent working with her, I grew into a talented designer who was able to adapt to different platforms and content needs. The confidence that I gained during my time with L.A.C.E.S. has become invaluable. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be independent, and to learn by doing. Leah and Seren have both taught me so much during this summer. I cannot thank them enough for taking the time to teach me and let me spread my wings.