For the past few months, I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with Council Member Feroleto and the other wonderful people in his office. Running the Hertelwalls Instagram profile has been such a great learning experience, and I have had a great time creating and posting different styles of content. Truth be told, however, I was nervous when I first walked into City Hall. I have always worried about how my actions affect others, and this experience put those worries on a larger scale. I was scared that I would not know how to drive engagement and make a positive impact. Luckily for me, the people I have met along the way have eased that fear. From my supervisors, Megan and Logan, to the other interns, and even Council Member Feroleto himself, the entire team has been extremely supportive and encouraging. I strongly feel that the office functions more like a family than just, simply, a team.
As the end of the summer nears, I can confidently say that I have learned a great deal from this opportunity. The skills that I have learned will definitely be helpful in most aspects of life going forward, and I could not be more appreciative. I have gained some confidence in myself and my work, and I no longer walk into the building worrying if my posts will succeed or not. I know that I have a strong creative sense, and I enjoy bringing a trendy lens to the Instagram. I have improved on speaking with others, such as the artists, in order to get more content, and I have found fun ways to drive engagement. This, to me, is very important, and it proves to myself that I am capable of doing great work. I have also been following the metrics of the account, and since I have started, we have gained over 160 followers, and the posts have an increased number of likes. Many people have shared various posts, asked questions and left comments, and interacted with the story. I would say this internship has been a success!
Now that the internship is almost over however, I have been asked to stay through the end of the summer and continue creating and posting content! I am so excited for the extended opportunity, and cannot wait to see where this takes me.
P.S. Here’s a little look at one of my favorite posts, which was a Throw Back Thursday post to highlight some of the amazing artists from Hertel Alley Mural Fest.
Congratulations, Abigale! Hertelwalls has a reputation for being a great site to intern, and your experience certainly backs that up. I am so pleased with the experience you have gained in interpersonal skills, social media content creation, and working in a positive professional environment!