M ass communication major and senior Sophia Clark is putting what she’s learned at Georgia College & State University to work as a marketing intern at Blue Cypress Consulting this summer. 
 
She’s doing this with a little help from fellow Bobcat Monica Klinkmueller, ’20, senior marketing coordinator for Blue Cypress Consulting. 
 
The company is a women-owned, small business providing community planning and utility management services with headquarters in Decatur, Georgia.

 
“At Georgia College, I constantly juggled a lot of responsibilities, including hosting a morning show on WGUR 95.3,” Clark said. “It's the same thing in my current role. I have multiple tasks each day that need to be done within certain timeframes. Learning to manage my time at the university prepared me to meet these needs.”
 
She’s also learning to use new software, databases and other tools useful for working in the marketing industry. Although they’re all new to her, Clark’s not intimidated by these tasks, as her Georgia College professors continually provided her with new challenges which nurtured her problem-solving skills.
 
Clark’s enjoying her work environment, a team of 21 employees where everyone knows each other. Clark and Klinkmueller can especially relate as fellow Bobcats. 
 
“It's awesome,” Clark said. “When you go out into the working world, it can be intimidating. But having a connection with someone from GCSU makes that world feel a bit smaller and less intimidating.”
 
Clark’s unsure what specific career path she’d like to pursue within the fields of marketing, advertising and public relations. However, since she started the internship in early May, she’s applied her skills to her job while remaining adaptable and open to learning new duties, ready to embrace any direction her career might take. 
 
“One of the great things about interning is that I'm learning what I enjoy, which helps me carve out my career path,” Clark said.

 
Klinkmueller knows the wealth of experience that comes from interning. Between her junior and senior year at Georgia College, she interned as a graphic designer at Momentum Worldwide then freelanced for the company. 
 
After graduating, she interned for Blue Cypress Consulting doing the same duties Clark performs. After interning, she landed a job there and has been working at the company for four years.
 
“I learned a lot from my internships and gained many connections and professional experience,” Klinkmueller said. “Although I ended up in a different industry, today, I still apply much of the graphic design and communication skills I learned from my first internship.”
 
Internships are important to provide a sample of what students may like in the workplace, Klinkmueller said. They also allow a smooth transition from college to profession.  
 
“Starting a career right after graduating college can be very daunting,” Klinkmueller said. “An internship lets you dip your toes in the water to see what it’s like and if an industry is a good fit for you.”

 
Her professors at Georgia College consistently provided clear communication and expectations. She uses these transferrable skills in the professional world. 
 
“It's important to have clear direction—like standards and guidelines to follow—to execute a task well,” Klinkmueller said. “If you’re in charge of managing someone to do a task, it gives that person the opportunity to achieve what you've outlined for them.”
 
She emulates her Georgia College professors’ “open-door” policy. They frequently made time to answer her questions and provide guidance on schoolwork.
 
“I’ve modeled that same level of support for Sophia,” Klinkmueller said. “She’s managing a lot of her work independently, but I hope she knows she can reach out to me with questions, concerns or guidance, and I will be there to help her.” 
 
She wants this internship to help Clark find a career she’ll enjoy.
 
“I hope she discovers what she likes and doesn't like to get a better understanding of what her career could look like—whether it's in the AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) industry or not,” Klinkmueller said.
 
She hopes Clark finds a profession that’s fulfilling.
 
“It's important to enjoy the work you do,” Klinkmueller said. “It's the reason you get out of bed Monday through Friday. Coming to a work environment that’s positive with people you enjoy being around where you feel a sense of achievement and celebrated because of the great work you're accomplishing; I hope Sophia has all this and more as she goes forward with her career.”  

 

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