When I was in college, I fell in love with strategic communications — the brainstorms, the briefs, the ideas and ultimately the problem-solving of it all. How do you effectively and clearly communicate with different types of people? During one semester, I ended up taking a class that seemingly no one else wanted: “Excel for Communication Professionals.” Little did I know the impact this course would have on me. It introduced me to a new passion — data.
This new passion led to varying roles in digital marketing and corporate communications, but something always felt missing. In these past roles, it felt like I was only understanding a piece of the puzzle.
Eager to learn more about data, I started my master’s degree in data science. Having finished most of my master’s course work, when I landed this internship with The Hoffman Agency, I felt like I was ready to have the real-world application of skills I had been learning. Over the next three months, I found myself immersed in a diverse array of projects that challenged and excited me daily — from conducting new business research to developing client dashboards, creating internal HR reports and even AI automation.
What truly captivated me was that I got to discover something new every day. There’s something thrilling about sifting through messy data, not knowing what hidden insights are within the chaos waiting to be uncovered. I spent hours looking through datasets, cleaning, analyzing and visualizing information.
Throughout this internship, I faced my share of challenges. There were times when the data seemed impenetrable or when my skills fell short. But each obstacle became a learning opportunity. I reached out to my supportive colleagues, dove into online resources and pushed myself to think creatively. These experiences not only enhanced my technical skills but also taught me the value of perseverance and teamwork.
As I reflect on these past three months, I’m amazed at how much I’ve grown. This internship has been the perfect complement to my master’s studies, allowing me to apply classroom theories to real-world scenarios. It has solidified my passion for communications analytics and given me a clearer vision of my career path.
To the incredible team at The Hoffman Agency, I owe a debt of gratitude. Their guidance and willingness to entrust me with meaningful work have been invaluable. As I move forward, I carry with me not just new skills and experiences but also a reinforced belief in the power of data to drive effective communications strategies.
As my time at The Hoffman Agency as an intern comes to an end, I feel incredibly grateful. Grateful to have found an agency where I was encouraged to combine my two passions of strategic communications and data to fully dive into communications analytics. This internship has been more than just a stepping stone — it’s been a transformative experience that has shaped my professional journey in ways I never anticipated.
