Julia McIntyre
Taking a risk pays off.
Hospitality major, Julia McIntyre ’20 spent her first two internships working at event planning venues, but was unsatisfied. As a senior, she decided to switch things up and intern with the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. Here, she discovered a love for the dynamic hotel environment, and a newfound passion for marketing.
What is a day in the life of your internship like?
I worked in the sales and marketing department and every day was different. From working on marketing collateral, Instagram posts for the hotel, and getting ready for Christmas time and the Teddy Bear Tea, to providing job coverage as a catering group coordinator, each day at the hotel brought new opportunities.
What is the most significant project you have worked on?
The most significant projects I worked on were around Christmas. I created an elf on the shelf Instagram story for the hotel where I had to plan out where the elf would be hiding, stage photos, and create captions. In addition, I assisted with the hotel’s Christmas decorating and Teddy Bear Tea Party event.
What has the experience taught you about yourself, the job, and your future career?
This experience helped me see what I am truly capable of. I gained a passion for marketing that I hope to incorporate into my future career. Marketing is a field where creativity and thinking outside of the box are important, and I feel like these skills are some of my biggest strengths. After this internship I feel prepared and excited for life after college.
What advice do you have for future Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ interns to help them get the most out of their experience?
My advice for future Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ interns is to do an internship that’s outside of your comfort zone. I told myself that I would never work in a hotel, so I spent my first two internships at event venues. However, going into senior year I realized that I didn’t want to be an event planner anymore. I was encouraged by the Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ internship faculty and my professors to give it a try and I’m so happy I did. I found the career that I want to pursue, while also discovering how much I liked working in the ever-changing hotel environment.