A long time ago in a bedroom far, far away…

I was starting university in front of my computer screen, still living in my parents’ house. As disheartened as I was for not having the standard freshman year experience that I always dreamt of, I was still determined to make the most out of the situation.

I spent all of Clubs Week hopping from Zoom link to Zoom link, sampling all of the different clubs that Western University had to offer. The Western Marketing Association (WMA) caught my eye, since they had an internship placement program. I’ve had some experience with managing social media and designing digital assets for clubs at my high school, but I knew my marketing skills were still limited and I wanted to expand my knowledge.

I dished out my resume to several startups in the internship program, and was fortunate to land a spot as a Marketing Intern at the scholarship website, Atila. Thus, my journey began!

🎶  We’re a happy family! 🎶

Any anxiety I had about starting my first internship was quickly dispelled once I met the Atila family. Atila is a small, yet close-knit team of highly productive and innovative people. At the centre of it all is Tomiwa, the man who dreamt of facilitating the process of accessing scholarships and started to make his dream into a reality. The rest of the team is composed of student interns who share the same dream, and always eager to work on the next project to help Atila grow.

What I worked on

During my time at Atila, I had the opportunity to work on a multitude of interesting projects. Here’s some of my favourites:

  1. Designing

I designed several digital assets for Atila using the design software, Figma. My all-time favourite was designing the new website landing page (you can read about how I did that here!) I also made the promotional assets for the Skateboard for Hope Scholarship, Atila Points, and many more!

         2. Content creation

Which Gen-Zer isn’t addicted to the Internet? I know I sure am, but I was able to feed my addiction productively by producing online content for Atila. For example, I made this TikTok! I also crossed something off my bucket list and interviewed a couple people for the Atila podcast (keep a lookout for these interviews very soon 👀)

    3. Sales

By emailing prospective clients, I sharpened my communication skills and formed professional relationships with several individuals and external organizations (including an author and several Canadian universities!)

    4. Scoring scholarships

I felt extremely honoured to have been able to help in the winner selection process for Atila’s own scholarships. I read numerous scholarship essays that detailed each applicant’s unique story. Through reading everyone’s stories, I came to appreciate Atila’s mission even more. I believe that Atila is truly making a difference in students’ lives, and I was happy that I was part of that process.

Skills that I learned

Tangible

  • Gmass
  • Trello
  • Hubspot
  • Copywriting
  • Facebook Ads

Intangible

  • Communication skills
  • Improved design skills
  • Time management skills
  • Stronger perseverance!

In conclusion…

I am beyond grateful for my time at Atila. In just a few months, I gained an insurmountable amount of experience and knowledge alongside an amazing team of interns and my boss, Tomiwa. 

For anyone who might be interested in applying for an internship for the first time, regardless at Atila or somewhere else, I highly recommend you to take the initiative and apply. The knowledge you gain in your first internship is invaluable, and you will come out of the other side as a new and improved version of yourself!