Internships were a key part of Allie Tuttle-Colgan’s success in college and after graduation. The Omaha, Nebraska, native first determined her major in marketing through internships in hospitality. Her senior year she utilized her knowledge gained in classes at an internship with McBride and Associates that got her foot in the door for her first full-time job as client services coordinator. 
 
“I started out as a hospitality and tourism major, but I found marketing to be a much better fit for me because it encompasses such a broad number of interests. I can do tasks that involve hospitality along with strategic planning, writing and business marketing knowledge that helps me feel confident in any public relations position,” Tuttle-Colgan said.
 
McBride and Associates is an association management company that assists non-profit organizations with their public relations, marketing, event planning and financial needs. This internship helped Tuttle-Colgan broaden her marketing skills.
 
“I served as a public relations intern where I learned how to write press releases, improve digital marketing through social media and maintaining client websites. My writing has definitely improved because of my internship,” she said.
 
During her internship, she was also able to network, gain mentors and apply her marketing knowledge in hands-on situations.
 
“I worked closely with account managers and observed their different techniques working with organizations to meet their marketing needs,” she said. “Along with writing for a consumer audience, I also wrote strategic marketing plans and gained valuable feedback which has been a great learning experience.”
 
This past year she took two marketing classes, digital marketing and e-commerce and consumer behavior, which specifically applied to her internship. Incidentally, these classes also ended up being two of her favorites.
 
“I love to see how social media can influence consumers. I was actually able to use what I learned in class during my internship as I learned new marketing processes and how to help our clients with their target marketing needs,” Tuttle-Colgan said.
 
After graduating in August, her education and internship experiences prepared her for success.
 
“Students should pursue internship opportunities because it will help them build their résumé, gain experience, a job experience for the future, build a network and find mentors who can teach them from their own real-world experiences,” she said. Published: September 24, 2015