This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2021 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here.
This entry is by Daniel Trebejo-Ariza, WH ’24
My name is Daniel Trebejo–Ariza, and I am a sophomore in the Wharton School. This past summer, I completed an internship with the Sweden–based company Scrintal as one of their marketing interns. Scrintal started as a transcription–based company, but then began developing a product that would act as a collaborative online workspace. My job alongside two other interns was to create a student ambassador program to utilize students in universities around the world as spokespeople for the new product. I also reached out to the growth specialist of the company to see if I could get a closer look at how they were organizing their social media and online presence.
My first two weeks with the company was a bit rough because of the time zone difference. Our meeting time was 7am for me, which was 4pm for them in Stockholm. This meant I had to wake up incredibly early every morning, which was hard for me to do in the summer. However, I got used to it quickly and used the early morning start to structure my days more efficiently. I also got to know the other members of the team during this time. We had an ‘after work’ get together one day where we got to know each other on a more personal level, which helped me feel more comfortable with everyone.
I worked closely with the growth specialist of the company, Daiana, and one of the co–founders, Arda, in presenting ideas for the student ambassador program. I also presented Daiana with ideas and designs for rebranding the company’s social media accounts. However, most of the time, I was working with the two other interns I mentioned before, Alessandro and Zoe. We video called almost every day brainstorming ideas and seeing how we could organize the student program. We found students at multiple universities around the world to reach out to and see if they were interested in being ambassadors. Working closely with Alessandro and Zoe helped me work better in a small team and feel more comfortable talking to people I was not familiar with. It also helped me gain experience on what a job in my field would look like and become more acquainted with a real business setting.
When working with Daiana, I was mostly doing graphic design and some copy writing when needed. I only had a little bit of experience using programs like Photoshop, but I managed to learn a lot more independently because of Scrintal. I also managed to become acquainted with websites such as Hootsuite and Google Analytics, which I know are important things to know for my career. I managed to revamp some of their social media accounts, such as creating new logos or new post templates. They were very appreciative of the work, which I was happy to hear that I was able to contribute something to the company. I am grateful to Scrintal for allowing me the insight needed to become more accustomed with using these programs.
My experience with Scrintal was very educational and insightful. As this was my first internship, I was able to gain a lot of valuable experience about how to work in a business environment, as well as develop some of my communication and collaboration skills. I am excited to see how I will continue using what I have learned in my future endeavors!
