My name is Jeff Holzaepfel, and I am a senior at the University of Dayton. This past summer, I was given my first internship at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio as the Marketing Intern. Coming into the internship, I had a vision I would assist with social media marketing and give my ideas on some advertising; however, this was not the case. My internship with RMHC had me making videos, writing for the monthly newsletter, helping to set-up and take down for special events, and navigating through the city to ensure people in central Ohio knew about the Columbus Ronald McDonald House.
This was not the typical internship where I was in the office all day. The projects I was tasked with took me out of my comfort zone, which made the whole summer even more enjoyable! The project that most forced me out of my comfort zone was making two videos—there was a volunteer video and a video starring families that were guests at the House. The major challenge of the project was initiating the entire interview process. I was nervous at the beginning because I did not know how to approach volunteers or families, but I had to be proactive and finish the videos. The entire experience turned out to be fantastic. Not only did this project enhance my creative skills, I also have learned better communication skills, which are going to come in use when I am searching for a job a semester from now.
Obviously, the whole summer couldn’t be all work and no play. The staff and other interns made it exciting to come to work. The work environment was unlike anything I thought it would. I felt as if RMHC was one big family. Everyone was more than willing to help one another out on a project, which was one of the biggest lessons I learned that cannot be taught in a classroom. School makes the real world seem as if it is an all work, no play mentality, but from my experience, you can’t get the final product without the fun and loving environment at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio.