I am a rising senior at Hobart and William Smith colleges in Geneva New York. I am a Media and society major and a History minor. For those who do not know what media and society degree entails, it is similar to communications. The goal of media and society at HWS is to analyze the influence that mass media has on society as a whole through cultural and artistic perspectives.
HWS, being a small liberal arts college, is very supportive of a small, independent business. In fact we have a major, entrepreneurial leadership, that is devoted to just that. I have taken a few classes regarding entrepreneurship, and I have also attended several talks from fellow HWS students who have gone on to develop their own businesses after college. Because of this background, I felt comfortable interning at a small local business, however I was not positive what to expect.
I learned quickly that Red Door is not your typical dreadful office. There is never a dull moment at Red Door. Everyone is energetic, lively, exciting to be around, and genuinely great people. Even on the days that I was tired and didn’t feel like working, I would come in to smiling faces that immediately made me feel happy to be there. From my first day at the office, I felt immersed in the community, from seeing familiar faces walking into work every morning and seeing other local business owners come in and out of the office to just say hello everyday.
My current position as a marketing intern at Red Door has prepared me for the future in ways that I would have never expected walking in on my first day. Although it is a marketing internship, it is not limited to just that. It was made clear from my first day, that whatever areas I was interested in exploring at Red Door would be made available to me without hesitation. When I first applied for the internship I was of course looking for marketing experience, but most of all I was looking for just any sort of experience in an office setting, and I have to say for the three short months I have interned for Red Door I have gotten more experience then I ever thought I would have. I’ll admit when I first applied for the internship, I was hesitant because it was unpaid. But I think that might just be the most important aspect of my time here because it will convey my dedication to a company which is what all business’ are looking for.
Although I learned a lot about marketing, I also learned a lot about myself. I am still not completely positive what my career path may be upon graduating in the spring of 2019. However, at this internship I was able to decipher what I enjoyed working on and what was simply not for me. Going forward in my career, I will view my internship at Red Door as building experience. 
Personally, my favorite part about Red Door was learning more about Buffalo! From researching events happening from week to week, and writing several blogs! One of these events was the Facebook community boost. The Facebook community boost taught me a lot about managing social media accounts, and engaging an audience to help build a company which helped me at Red Door, and also in my personal life! If you are considering doing an internship at Red Door, definitely do it!!! It was an amazing learning opportunity! Call the office at 716-768-1177 or email your resume to Liz at lizcurry@gmail.com
