Written by: Angela Cordero
In the fall of 2024, I was new to UCF. I had just transferred from a community college and
felt incredible imposter syndrome. I hadn’t prepped and interned my first two years of
college the way everyone else did, so I, naturally, believed I was a lost cause.
Amid what I perceived to be my impending doom, I started attending Quotes events and
meeting interesting people pursuing the same major as me, who happened to be transfer
students as well. At these meetings and during my Public Relations class with Professor
Lindsay Hudock, I frequently heard about an upcoming and can’t-miss event called Intern
Pursuit that we would spend the first half of the semester prepping for. I learned how to
format my resume, what to expect at IP, and more preparatory information. However, even with all this new knowledge and tips, I kept in mind that there was (supposedly) a minimal chance I would actually obtain an internship, especially during my first semester at UCF.
Regardless of whether or not I believed I would be successful, I recognized that no matter what, IP would be a great experience in networking and selling my skills to employers. Therefore, in the days leading up to IP, I took the advice I received from Quotes.
Do your research. The employer list for IP goes live days before the event, so you have
enough time to look through it and find what sticks out and what isn’t your style. Taking the time to do this work can set you up for the next step of the process.
List the top three to five employers you would like to speak to on the day of. By
making this list, you know which employers to do even further research for. Look
through their website, familiarize yourself with their mission statement, check their
social media, and pay attention to their recent activity. Maybe the organization just
volunteered to help out local schools, or they just celebrated their 20th anniversary.
This is information you can call upon during IP or the interview process.
Even though I wouldn’t be able to do this until I was at the event, Professor Hudock advised everyone, after they first walk in, to start with an employer they don’t know much about, so students can gradually get the hang of IP before speaking with the employers they would like to impress the most. I took this advice very seriously, especially since I had never been to an event like Intern Pursuit before and didn’t want to make a fool of myself.
Without care for my anxiety, months turned into weeks, weeks turned into days, and days
turned into hours. IP eventually came around, and I was a nervous wreck. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I had prepared in the best way I could. “The only way out is through,” was the only thought on my mind.
As a Quotes member, I had the opportunity to enter IP an hour early. With that advantage, I walked up to the first table I saw without a line in front of it and started a conversation. I won’t sit here and lie; the conversation went well, but I felt like a deer in headlights. I completely blanked and forgot everything I practiced the night before. Immediately, I understood why you should wait until later in the evening to approach your top choices.
After about an hour and 15 minutes of networking, I finally gathered the courage to walk up to Trap Baby and Me. Initially, I was worried that the representatives would immediately notice that I had never had an internship and laugh in my face. But, of course, that didn’t happen. Nothing of the sort ever happened.
I finished the pleasant conversation, handed my resume over, and went home to fill out TB&M’s online application. I mentioned all the information gathered during my preparation for IP, including the company’s mission statement and work done in the past year. I could tell that there was a lot of personality behind TB&M’s social media and website, so I pointed out that it had drawn me to apply. During my interview, I reiterated the same information, but additionally, I asked questions about how the company started and where they would like it to go.
After going through this process and interning for Trap Baby & Me for the past three and a half months, even getting the opportunity to represent the company during this semester’s IP, here are some tips that I would give to someone new to UCF, IP, and internships in general.
- Do your research! If you end up applying for a company that hadn’t previously been on your list, make sure to have done a look-through of the company’s website and
socials. - Before your interview, think of questions to ask your interviewer. Show them the
extent of your interest in the company and how its employees found their way to it. - Have faith in yourself! You’ll always be new to interning until you intern for the first
time. There are plenty of employers at Intern Pursuit that are beginner-friendly. - Give yourself grace and trust that you will attract good things if you put yourself out there and give it your fullest potential.
Quotes 