By Caroline Wenhold
Now I’m back at school, I’d like to share my gratitude and experiences as a ‘MINtern’ in Hexagon Mining’s summer MINternship program.
Most marketing internship opportunities I’d seen involved sales or event planning, which is not the direction I saw for myself. I wanted to develop skills that would support me in a digital/content marketing career. I felt stuck and frustrated, until I saw Hexagon’s listing for a social media intern. I applied and talked about how exciting it would be to just about anyone who would listen! After being accepted, I was ecstatic.
Part of my team during my first social hour: (me) Ian Leones, Tracy Sole De Hoop, Kyle Baril, Taylor Tedesco, Kim Haar and Liann Zimmer.
Fast-forward to the experience itself, and it was even better than I had expected. Here’s why.
It’s hard work to not enjoy work when there’s gelato involved!
My team was full of supportive and outgoing people who made me feel appreciated and helped me expand my skill level past expectations. They empowered me to pursue projects that helped foster the skills I needed. I now feel infinitely more prepared and confident in my career path. Being around them inspired me to work harder and support them in the way they did for me.
The program introduced MINterns to the whole company, connecting us with each other and our respective departments, as well as the Tucson community. We were part of the Hexagon Family, not just temporary staff. Each piece of the program showed what Hexagon valued: relationships, community and learning.
Our intern cohort had a great time spending the day helping the Casa De Los Ninos thrift store with refreshing their office and sorting donations.
Mentors are an important part of the program, helping us to succeed personally and professionally. Having a mentor provided me with a direct line to someone I could turn to confidently when I needed help, ensuring that I got the most out of my experience. So, a very special thank you to campaign specialist and social media guru, Liann Zimmer, for supporting me!
Another unique part of the program was our Friday-morning MINtern breakfasts, which allowed us to socialize and share experiences. By the end of the summer, everyone knew each other well, even among departments that rarely interacted. A volunteer day at Casa De Los Ninos Thrift Store and a team building event at Topgolf with managers and mentors helped further encourage our collaboration. I appreciated the effort behind the design of the program throughout the summer.
I appreciated being able to share my projects with all the managers and other interns at the end of our program.
My experience as a MINtern makes me excited for the future and I’m happy to continue my internship during the last semester at the University of Arizona.
Thank you Hexagon!