Nina Hale welcomes another BrandLab intern. Get to know who’s joining the agency for the summer.
For the third summer in a row, Nina Hale is hosting a BrandLab intern to teach them more about the marketing industry. The BrandLab is an organization whose mission is to change the face and voice of the marketing industry by introducing, guiding, and preparing students for careers in marketing and advertising.
This year Nina Hale is lucky enough to work with a member of the BrandLab alumni, meaning it’s their second year obtaining an internship in the summer program. From June to early August, Angel Xiong will be joining Nina Hale to assist the agency’s CSSU (content, SEO, social media, and user experience) team under Digital Content Planner Meredith Wathne’s mentorship.
Get to Know our BrandLab Intern: Angel Xiong
Fun facts:
- I’m Hmong so I can speak, read, and write in Hmong fluently.
- I have been growing grey hair since I was 10 years old. There’s enough white strands sprouting out of my head to be seen as noticeably odd for my age. People like to tell me that its genetics, a symbol of good luck, or stress. I like to think it’s all three.
- My eyesight is so bad without glasses or contacts, my vision looks like an unfocused camera shot. It’s so blurry that my eye prescription power has been the worst out of all people I know with impaired vision. I don’t know how it got that way.
- I like to watch cooking and baking shows in my downtime because I love trying new foods (even if it doesn’t look appetizing) and going to try different food spots I’ve never been to before. I enjoy keeping up with the fashion and trends on social media, too. I pretty much look to social media for cool places that get popular online to go to explore and take pictures. Another thing I also enjoy doing is looking up ways to make, or find, cheaper alternatives to expensive things, which is a smart thing to do for a college student.
WHAT ARE YOU UP TO RIGHT NOW?
I currently attend St. Catherine University as a full-time student and will graduate in 2021. I plan to major in Marketing with a minor in Integrated Marketing Communications and Design. I also work part-time in the financial aid office on campus as a receptionist assistant, but I took time off from that job to focus on my internship experience at Nina Hale.
What Are You Hoping to Gain from your Internship?
I hope to take away as much knowledge as I can from being immersed into this field of work. I want to develop the professional skills that allow me to do well in this industry. I also hope to leave with connections and long-term guidance from those who I’ve met at Nina Hale.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON AT nINA hALE?
I’m working specifically on creating content for Nina Hale’s social channels and blog. Meredith personally helps out the BrandLab outside of Nina Hale by managing their social interns, so I have joined a team of other BrandLab alumni to help create the content for their social channels with her guidance this summer. I’m really excited to take on these projects and am eager to complete each one with the best quality possible.
wHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FAR?
Last summer when I first went through the BrandLab internship program, I was placed at Hanley Wood Marketing where I was working alongside their social media team. I worked on a fun client project where I kept track of engagement on social channels to help with content creation. I was also able to observe client relationships within the agency and see how the role of each person was an important part to the marketing business. This was introductory to my understanding of the marketing agency environment, merely scratching the surface.
This summer, however, I have gotten an in-depth understanding of social media in advertising. I’ve seen how data is needed to drive results. I’m specifically learning about how search engine optimization works and the effectiveness it brings to a client’s consumer reach. Along with that, I’ve been exposed to the different analytical programs that are used to help aid and improve the effectiveness of organic and paid search. I’ve never seen this side of digital marketing before. So far, it’s been a really interesting subject to me!
FInal thoughts from Angel
Overall, I’m so grateful for this amazing opportunity. I’m able to use this experience to help change the face and voice of marketing. As a second-year alumni, I was able to choose where I was placed, and Nina Hale was one of the organizations I thought would be great place to learn more about. I really enjoy the environment of the office and have felt so welcomed by everyone here. I feel very much fulfilled knowing that I am of value to the agency even though I am here temporarily.
Interested in learning more about the BrandLab? Check out their website for more on their mission and vision.
