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Eyeing a fast-paced, interactive marketing internship this summer, Damian Arizini had his career focus lined up just right to kick off his senior year of college.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic took over.

As a result, his internship with beMarketing in Philadelphia became virtual. Arizini adjusted his focus and recalibrated his motivation.

In the end, the Bloomsburg University marketing major came away with a rewarding internship experience that not only gave him valuable insight into the marketing world, it taught him a few extra lessons Arizini says gave him even more confidence to succeed after graduation.

“I learned a great deal,” says Arizini, who spent three months with one of the leading and fastest growing digital marketing agencies in the Greater Philadelphia Region. “What I’m most proud of from this experience was how comfortable I became when communicating with clients and my co-workers by being included in client and corporate meetings.”

He adds, “Throughout my internship, I worked with software programs (commonly) used in the marketing industry. Google Analytics, Google My Business and Sprout Social were a few of the programs I learned to use during my internship.”

According to Arizini, these programs enabled him to develop reports for account managers as well as assist with research and developing marketing strategies for various client campaigns. Other responsibilities he had included creating monthly content and marketing strategies for clients, along with assisting account managers with client deliverables.

“It was awesome to learn the process of marketing for different industries and get hands-on experience of working directly with clients,” Arizini says. “During this internship, I learned how to create different advertising campaigns, maintain social media content, website proofing, write blogs, and track marketing analytics.”

Adding to his learning experience, Arizini saw his internship shift in June to in-person as beMarketing’s return to work plan went into effect.

“The beginning of my internship was indeed all virtual,” Arizini says. “This proved a bit challenging when I was first meeting my co-workers and learning the day-to-day operations via Google Meets video conferencing. It was certainly a different experience having client and internal meetings this way, but it worked.”

Arizini says he was well prepared for the internship because of BU’s marketing program, which has provided him with a professionally skilled foundation that he’s looking forward to further build upon over these final two semesters.

“(This) program continues to provide me the educational tools and resources to pursue a career in marketing,” Arizini says. “This includes understanding the behaviors of consumers, learning how to identify target markets, how to communicate with potential clients and the analytics software programs.”

He adds, “By participating in (the) Zeigler Institute for Professional Development (ZIPD) program, I’ve learned skills needed to enhance my professional development for career success, which includes communication and the importance of networking with alumni.”