Hi everyone! My name is Jillian Chang, and I am beyond excited to share with you all about my spring internship. As a 4th-year Communication Studies major and Integrated Educational Studies minor, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with a small, owned business gift shop, ZillyMonkey. Although it was my last semester before graduating, there are valuable lessons that I have learned at the School of Communication that I will carry on with me post-grad.

As a social media and marketing intern, my primary responsibilities were promoting and creating content for the store’s most popular product, Miffy, a fictional bunny originating from the Netherlands. I have created videos for the store’s TikTok showcasing a wide variety of products, from tote bags to plushies, shirts, keychains, and even lamps! Whether it was in-store filming, unboxings, or hauls, it pushed me to be creative and strategic in my communication to our online audience. In addition to posting videos, I was also able to start up multiple giveaways for the store, designing graphics to post on Instagram, which I believe has been a great success in gaining popularity and engagement.

Before even finding and starting this internship, I was scared that I would not be able to find one in time, nor was I confident that I would even be able to work well with a business out in the “real world.” Through a TikTok video, I decided to check out the store as I am a Miffy lover myself. After having a wonderful conversation with the store owner, we both expressed interest and passion to work with each other. Despite my worries and self-doubt, I broke out of my comfort zone as an introverted character and seized this opportunity to work at ZillyMonkey.

Throughout this internship, I have learned many life skills that have shaped me into a well-versed individual. Some challenges that arose over the months at this business included the ever-changing nature of social media and how to effectively interact with our target customers. These were real-world situations that I was faced with, and I found ways to approach them head-on. Being able to openly share my thoughts and ideas with my on-site advisor cultivated a space for me to comfortably make mistakes I could learn from.

Going through this internship has genuinely opened my eyes to the endless possibilities that my B.A. in Communication Studies has to offer through Chapman University. As a student who changed majors at the end of my sophomore year and was unsure of what to do, I have grown to appreciate and cherish the life lessons and tools the community at the School of Communication has surrounded me with. I want to personally thank my professors, my peers, and Chapman for the lifetime skills of personal growth and confidence for my future.