At the beginning of this week I was excited for two reasons. I got added to the marketing role for the internship project and it was my birthday that weekend. Which is why this post is getting out so late. I turned 21 and seemingly partied too hard and recuperated for the past three days.

Anyway, onto the main chunk of the internship. We solidified our connection to Futures Foundation and I have been tasked to make the advertisements for the building. Things like posters, flyers, and even boxes for each floor where the employees can make their donations. We plan on making it a contest between floors to see who “cares” the most. I’m planning on using Canva to design everything and use the brand for the company. This is something I have a lot of experience with since I work with the WELL Team at Stetson.

The rest of the week was very long and tedious, in the claims department they had what can only be describe as a convention for meetings and being an intern in that department, meant I attended them as well. So, for three days in a row Tuesday-Thursday, I sat in a day long meeting. There were fun activities sprinkled through however, like this presentation on how the mind perceives things and the boat activity they had us do. Me and the five other interns built a boat out of tinfoil, sticks, and straws. We then raced the others with our boat and came out on top. Not bad for a bunch of college kids I say.

P.S. Sorry this took so long, I was so sick after my party on Saturday.

Actual work! This week I was able to participate in some actual working projects that the company is working on. I cannot disclose the details of the project but I can report that I was able to apply many of the skills I had been learning in the video tutorials and practice model. Putting together these runs of conduit while avoiding and preventing clashes and obstructions by other trades or even my own conduit It is like putting together a puzzle that is always changing. Since the models are all on a cloud that everyone on the project is working on has access to. People are always updating the models and working to make it “clash free” as they say.

I did get to learn new skills while working on the project. I learned how to manipulate the views I have access to further. I can control the box the model sits in and size it down to cover levels and areas I do not want to see so I can get a better idea and understanding of what I am seeing. Here are some pictures from the software to try and explain further.

These pictures also kind of bring to light some of the other views I talked about last post.

The current project I am working on is in its beginning stages. So, I have pretty much finished all I can for the project at its current point. But I hope to have an impact on it further as it progresses and gets more put in place and laid out. This internship still proves to be exciting and full of opportunities to keep learning and growing.

The second week of my internship at Phoenix Generation was mostly focused on preparing for the “Courageous Conversations” event with Daryl Davis and Jeff Schoep. Once again, my “podcasting intern” role shifted to something more like a mini-marketing studio position.

The Promotional Video

Our main goal was to produce a clean, high-quality promotional video that clearly explained the event to people interested in signing up. Initially, we filmed four interns speaking, unscripted, about their work experience. However, during the editing process, I realized the video felt too crowded and lacked focus. To improve it, we narrowed it down to two speakers and wrote a concise, one-minute script focused on the event details. We recorded multiple takes to ensure clarity and energy. I then spent significant time in After Effects refining the transitions and visuals, followed by using Audacity to remove background noise and achieve studio-quality audio.

Posters and Marketing

In addition to filming and editing videos, I collaborated closely with the marketing team to design promotional posters for the event, Courageous Conversations. I created four drafts aligned with the brand’s color guidelines, ensuring consistency and visual appeal. Once finalized, I resized the designs for Instagram and published them promptly.

A Day at the Holocaust Center

Later that week, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Holocaust Center of Florida during the Holocaust Teacher Event. I was responsible for managing the Zoom back-end, relaying audience questions from the chat to the speakers, and troubleshooting any technical issues that came up.

Reflections

Reflecting on this week, I recognize how rapidly my duties have evolved from narrow audio tasks to a multifaceted media-production role. Also, this experience shows how important adaptability is in an art-related working field, as you must always look at one thing from different angles. I’m grateful I could put my skills to good use – editing the promotional video, volunteering at the event, and designing the posters.

The second week of the internship was far less exciting than the first. It consisted of me watching tutorial videos and playing around on the Revit software in order to learn it and be able to apply it to the work I would be doing as an employee here at Miller.

The software is very intuitive and can really be changed and manipulated to suit each persons personal preference and workflow. You can input add-ins to the software for different views. Even within the software you can pick and choose what and how you want to see what you are working on( thank you Meghan for the tip). Meghan is one of my supervisors, she’s awesome. Anyway, for me, I liked to utilize the tab view feature. Which allows me to see multiple views all at once. I can have the 3d view on one tab, the section view in 2d, and the full layout of the sheet drawings. Having multiple views has allowed me to work more efficiently in drafting the practice model I have been given to work on. The fun and also the most challenging part about this internship for me, is the fact that I am learning electrical as well as how to model and use a new software. It is both exciting and daunting at times. But an unforgettable experience, and I am only two weeks in.

Asking other workers and my fellow interns has been a great help to figuring out the software and just how Miller operates and completes projects . Although this week has been unexpected and ever changing. It has been a productive and enjoyable learning experience.

As I wrap up week one, I can say that I am extremely excited about what’s to come. Last Tuesday (June 3) was the first day of my internship. We started by getting to know the other three interns—Helena, Payton, and Marlo—along with my supervisor, George, and the regional COACH supervisor, Chad. We all went to the Cheesecake Factory for a special lunch to celebrate our first day and to introduce ourselves to each other. We also had a call with the COACH President and Vice President, which was amazing!

One thing I’m loving about COACH so far is how all employees have direct contact with such important leaders in the company. I believe this is very rare nowadays. Week one also included the COACH Journey training, where we learned more about the brand’s history, values, purpose, and mission.

Something that stood out to me was how much the company invests in its employees and promotes a culture of growing talent from within, instead of constantly hiring from outside. The Vice President is a great example—he started as a regional manager and, after years of working in different leadership roles, rose to become one of the most important people in the company. This was also clear from my interactions with other employees. They all speak very highly of the brand and are proud to work there.

For the internship, we received the agenda for the next 10 weeks. We will explore all different aspects of the business to understand how it operates. By the end of the internship, we are required to present a project with strategies and recommendations to improve COACH’s performance and attract more Gen Z consumers.

I’m truly excited and already brainstorming ideas that align with my areas of interest—social media, marketing, and digital arts. I love how open they are to letting us incorporate our passions into the project.

Excited for what’s to come next!

Note:
Since English is not my first language, I used AI to help correct grammar and spelling in this text. However, all the ideas and content shared here are entirely my own.

Before my internship began, I expected to focus solely on producing podcasts for the foundation. And while Podcasting remains the core of my work, I quickly discovered how many elements, from research and scripting to lighting, filming, and post-production, must come together to create a successful episode. I’m currently learning about lighting and honing my video editing skills in addition to podcast workflows because our team decided to include a video component in our projects.

First Impressions

The office reminds me more of a collaborative workplace than a corporate space. There are only a few interns, so it’s quiet enough to focus but casual enough to brainstorm out loud. Basically a comfortable studio that makes it easier to focus and test ideas.

Visiting the podcast studio

We took a tour of SWELL Podcast Studio early in the week. In terms of the look and feel we were  pursuing, this location needed a lot of work, but technically it was fine. When we saw Hi Hello Recording Studio two days later, we were immediately struck by its vibrant LEDs, pre-wired cameras and mixers, and ample space for filming video segments without having to move furniture. We intend to get this studio’s three-month block.

Work done

At the beginning of our internship experience we were given the task of making a podcasting plan for the next year. Over the week I dove into audience research, acquiring data on youth’s generation podcast habits, drafted three versions of budget that lists everything from specific microphones to Adobe/Logic Pro subscriptions needed, sketched a three-month content calendar featuring weekly Phoenix Youthcast episodes, bi-weekly interviews, and a steady stream of 30-second “Phoenix Shorts” for TikTok and Reels, outlined a draft for a promotion video for the June 17 Daryl Davis event – and finally wrapped all of that into a presentation.

Reflection

It surprised me how quickly the duties expanded from “podcasting intern” to “multimedia producer,” but I think this is what makes the internship worthwhile and will provide me with much-needed experience. It was fast-paced, but that variety is certainly what makes the internship already feel valuable: each new assignment gives me a tangible skill I can develop, and the momentum keeps me engaged.

Internship Project Details

During this week we had our intern meeting. We all would come together and decide which charity we would fundraise for. We narrowed it down to two different organizations and are all doing research on the Futures Foundation and The Daytona Beach Kiwanis Club. I am personally not leaning towards either yet because I have not completed my own research on either. Donations and drives can only be for items, so no monetary donations are allowed. We would plan our project in the coming weeks, as well as go through each floor of the building to tell each department about our plan and collect items they bring in.

The Work Week

During the work week, I spent a lot of time filling in things on an excel sheet, things like if the claim went to litigation, what was the conclusion, and what kind of claim it was. With six interns in my department they gave us about 600 claims to file so we split them up in 100 each. With that and the constant training happening it was a busy week.

The highlight of the week however was when we all got to go on a field trip to two different houses asking for a policy. We had to go around and take pictures of the houses for an examiner and the six of us were able to go onto the actual roofs as well. We flew a drone around and took many pictures of the roofs.

Dalton Bailey

An internship. My initial thought going into an internship with a huge company, Miller Electric, was that I will most likely be going around the office passing out coffees and delivering various papers for my manager. However, it was nothing like what I imagined at all.

My first day on may twenty third was a hailstorm of emotions. I was eager, excited, and hopeful. But at the same time terrified, nervous, and anxious. This is mostly to the fact that it was my first internship. But also because I wanted to make a great impression. I couldn’t wait to see what kind of tasks and jobs they would have me do, or what a normal day at a company was like. We started off the day getting our id badges so we would have access to the building and various rooms we would need to be able to enter. The rest of the day was filled with speakers and presentations, learning about the company culture and core values. The speakers were all quite inspirational. Most of them also happened to be executives of the company. It was day one and all the interns got to meet and greet with executives of the company. It blew my mind.

The rest of the week followed a similar pattern. We would come in eat breakfast listen to more speakers and do fun activities that had to do with the company. The most notable and fun of the activities we were tasked split into groups and using Legos we had to design and sell our products to other tables. With the goal being to make the most profit for our little table of 4 interns. The task was both challenging and exhilarating. It taught and opened my eyes to how a construction and electrical company worked and how sometimes an opportunity for success really comes down to who you know.

All in all the first week was a blast and although it was sort of an orientation week to get us familiar with the company and what it would be like to work there. It was an unforgettable experience. I cannot wait to see what the next week will hold at Miller Electric Company.

This week was a short one, due to Memorial Day and me not working on Fridays. However, that did not stop the week from being filled with many meetings and trainings. Being at an insurance company and entering the hurricane season, we had to all learn and watch a presentation on what we would do in a hurricane. I learned that every department would be turned into the claims department and they would work us from 8am to 8pm.

Moving on from the terrors of hurricane season, I learned that we can begin to shadow different departments and learn practically everything about the company we would like to. We also all got mentors that we will meet with at least once a week to report all the things we do to.

Since I work within the claims department, it has been a lot of training so far, but I am finally nearing the end of videos and quizzes and nearing the start of something new.

Which brings us to the main point of the internship. Besides learning every department, all 22 interns have been tasked with finding a charity or organization to help. We have been tasked with everything, from choosing the charity to acquiring every bit of whatever we may need to donate. This can be money, clothes, toys, etc. Depending on which organization we choose.

I plan to tell the group that I can make things for our presentations and/or advertisements that will run through the building. The building has televisions in its corners and I was thinking it would reach everyone easier that way rather than going to floors everyday during work.