Name: Kim Tang
Major: Communication Studies
Track: Mass Media and Social Media
Minor(s): Marketing and Graphic Design
Graduation Year: May 2020
On-campus Involvement: TCNJ ResEd (Community Advisor), Asian American Association (President), Social Media and Communications Specialist (TCNJ Office of Communications, Marketing & Brand Management)
When and where did you intern: Social Media Intern, Marketing & Engagement Team at National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. (Summer 2019)
What drew you to Communication Studies?
I was drawn to Communication Studies because I felt it was the perfect intersection of human interaction and strategic messaging. I knew I wanted to work in a career where I could be able to, for a lack of better words, communicate with others. I have found that Communication Studies is the perfect intersection of Marketing and human touch — my studies aren’t too data driven (which I, personally, don’t love) but not too abstract.
Describe your internship and your role.
In my role, I drafted social copy for all @InsideNatGeo accounts (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) and created a running social calendar of major holidays, topical national/world events, and National Geographic historical moments. I created weekly social reports detailing our social media analytics, conducted research on similar social media accounts, and uploaded posts to our newsroom. I, along with the two other M&E interns, conducted an analysis of the NGS website where I examined the Newsroom and suggested ways to improve our site.
What is your best memory from your internship?
My best memory from the internship was definitely getting to know the other interns at Nat Geo. It was so inspiring to see a group of people committed to conservation, science, and education all in one place — and it was equally inspiring to see the different backgrounds we all had. Everyone had different majors, came from different schools, and it was nice to interact with a wide range of people. We all would get lunch together and hang out over the weekends — it definitely helped DC feel less lonely.
What is one skill you improved upon while at your internship?
My creativity improved while at my internship, for sure. Social media is a writing heavy role — captions don’t just appear out of thin air! And the ability to brainstorm new and engaging content is critical to social media success. I appreciated how my internship helped me view things from a different angle and practice taking risks and having fun with my work.
How did Communication Studies help prepare you for your internship?
Communication Studies helped prepare me by providing me the theoretical background for communication. Because I knew the fundamentals of how people communicate, what kind of messages tend to work and tend to not work, crafting captions and content was much easier.
Do you have any advice for students looking to apply for internships?
Apply to things that interest you, and apply everywhere! I applied to over 60 internships I was interested in — all in Communications or Marketing, because that’s where my interest was. Know what you’re applying for, and even if it seems like a reach, apply anyways! There is never any harm in applying for something; worse case scenario, they say no, but best case scenario is that you get the position! Also, talk to people and ask for help if you need!