Blossomed at the Gardens

This Friday, December 5, marks my last day as a Marketing Intern at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and I cannot believe how quickly these past 3 months have come and gone!  As the last and final semester of my undergraduate education, I am experiencing so many different emotions.  I’m excited to close this chapter and embark on a journey full of new opportunities, but I’m also anxious, worried and a bit hesitant to move on.  Despite my mixed emotions, when I stop to reflect on this semester and on my entire internship experience, I couldn’t be happier.  In the beginning of the school year, I remember feeling somewhat unsure about interning at the Gardens, but now I’m leaving feeling fulfilled and knowledgeable and I have my supervisor, Erin, to thank for that.  With her help and guidance, I’ve found my voice on social media, written multiple press releases, assisted in planning and executing events, designed and edited the Gardens’ website, successfully made iMovies and created marketing campaigns via Constant Contact.  In regards to my original goal statement, I believe I have successfully accomplished what I set out to achieve.  I wanted to leave the Gardens with the knowledge of how to successfully and confidently write my own press releases and social media posts, which I have.  I wanted to learn more about event planning and marketing events, which I have.  Most importantly, I wanted to leave the Gardens and my marketing internship with a sense of whether this was the right career path for me and now, I can confidently say that it is.  I loved what I did and learned more than I ever thought I would.  I couldn’t have asked for a better supervisor and teacher who was full of positivity and wonderful advice.  While Erin read my letter of recommendation to me last week, I felt a great sense of accomplishment in my abilities and in my hard work over the past three months.  Not only has Erin provided me with an amazing experience, but she has become someone who I admire, respect and plan to stay in touch with.  Her faith in me has given me faith in myself.  This semester, I have grown, learned and gained valuable skills and the self-confidence I believe I need to succeed in a communications/marketing position.  I’m unsure of what lies ahead, but I’m very thankful for the time I spent learning at Canisius and for the time I spent blossoming as a young professional at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.  I can’t wait to see what’s next!