Hello! My name is Jake Berger. I am a senior Strategic and Corporate Communication (SCC) major and a part of the Business and Economics Themed Inquiry program at Chapman University. At the beginning of the spring semester, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a Social Media and Influencer Marketing intern for a startup seltzer company, Avana Cocktails.

Avana Cocktails

Over the course of the last few months, I have been responsible for adding potential influencers to the company’s database, conducting industry research, designing merchandise, and integrating an online store into Avana’s existing website. Coincidentally, I enrolled in Brian Calle’s brand-new Influencer Marketing class before I secured my internship. He taught the class how to secure deals and execute influencer campaigns, which then helped me devise a plan for Avana’s summer campaign. Aside from influencer marketing, I never thought I would have the chance to take on these other roles, and I could not be happier with the skills I developed throughout this internship. Before working at Avana, I lacked fashion design skills, dropshipping skills, and website construction skills. I had to learn quickly when I took on these responsibilities, and now, I am confident that the online store will be fully functioning by the time Avana releases its first line of products.

As a young creative, I have always aspired to be involved in marketing, content creation, and fashion design. I feel very fortunate to be working with Avana because they are helping me develop new skills while allowing me to take on the responsibilities I have a passion for. If you have the opportunity to work for a startup business, take it. In my opinion, the experience you gain from interning at a startup outweighs a typical corporate internship experience. I started my internship searching for Instagram influencers to sponsor and ended up designing clothes and developing an online store. Even if you do not have the skills to accomplish a task immediately, do not be afraid to communicate your needs.

Avana Branded Sweater

I switched to the School of Communication two years ago exactly for this reason. I wanted to improve my communication skills, persuasive messaging skills, and relationship building skills to be able to develop trust with others and take on more responsibilities in the future. The School of Communication did exactly that by giving me the ability and confidence to succeed throughout my academic career and my Avana internship. Between my SCC experience and my Avana experience, the most important thing I have learned is to always ask, “What can I do for you?” not, “What can you do for me?”