Internship at the City of Austin Transportation and Public Works

As my summer marketing internship with the City of Austin comes to an end, I would like to share my experience, the lessons I have learned, as well as challenges I have faced. I met incredible people who were great mentors along this journey, and I am excited to share these highlights.?

The City of Austin’s Transportation and Public Works (TPW) department oversees a range of transportation, mobility, and safety initiatives within the community. TPW collaborates with various transportation modes and numerous partners and agencies in the Austin area to create a network that is accessible to people of all ages and abilities. The department is dedicated to ensuring that the transportation network is dependable, safe, and well-maintained for everyone.?

For the city’s vision and mission to come to life, there is a lot of work that gets put into the marketing, graphics, and community outreach aspects. One of my most memorable experiences as a marketing and communications intern was being a part of the City of Austin’s booth at the annual Greens on the Blues music festival. I had such a great time meeting community members and promoting our Get There ATX campaign to the hundreds of people who were interested in our projects at the festival. I noticed that when it comes to these boothing events, there was a give-and-take relationship. By creating appealing graphics associated with the campaign to put onto the merchandise, people are willing to learn about the campaign to receive these merch items. In exchange, people are walking around with our campaign logo on their tote bags, keychains, and water bottles, catching the eyes of even more people.?

As marketing intern, I was also tasked with managing an ad campaign to recruit crossing guards for Austin elementary and middle schools. I acted as a communication bridge between the public information office (PIO) and the campaign team to discuss expectations and needs for the advertisement. This came with its challenges. I noticed that when it came to working with other teams or departments, it was very easy for miscommunication to occur regarding deadlines and agreements. It was important for me to present information, discuss specific deadlines, receive feedback, and ask questions to ensure that everyone’s expectations were met as closely as possible. From discussion to planning, to officially running the advertisement, the whole process was incredibly insightful to experience.?

All in all, I am beyond appreciative of the opportunity I was given to expand my knowledge in marketing outside of the classroom. I would like to give recognition to Jeff Stensland, my manager, Jacqueline Pena, my mentor, and the rest of the PIO team for their open arms and guidance. I am so grateful to be a part of a team that is so close, kind, and supportive of one another.

This is only the first chapter of my experience in a professional marketing atmosphere. I am thrilled to begin my final year working towards my BS in Marketing at UTD, and I look forward to the countless opportunities there are to offer.

#UTDBSMKT #JSOMINTERN Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas