How time flies!
In July, University of Oregon grad Keyry Hernandez joined us as our summer intern through The Script. Now, after a few months of learning, working on a wide range of clients and sharing some fun facts and stories about herself, Keyry is off to her next chapter in the world of communications.
We will miss her, but wish her well. We asked her for some parting thoughts as she wound down her time with us.
What was something you enjoyed doing during your internship?
Every time a coworker reached out for help on a project. It was especially exciting to jump into tasks I was unfamiliar with because I knew I was going to come out of those experiences with new skills. Considering Gard works with a range of clients with different communications needs, the work I did was different every day. This made coming into the office fun and rewarding every week.
What was the most challenging aspect?
As someone working at a communications agency for the first time, I consistently tackled tasks that I had never done before. Which was challenging in a way . . . but the good kind of challenging because I gained a lot of valuable experiences. I embraced being a learner and I asked a lot of questions even when I was afraid my questions were an inconvenience. Luckily, my curiosity was always welcomed at Gard, and I was mentored with kindness. It also helped to use any transferrable skills throughout my time here. If I didn’t know how to do something, I gave it a shot with the knowledge and skills I already had and then asked questions to successfully complete a project. I’m grateful to say that I got to nourish all of my questions into answers as an intern at Gard.
What is something you learned that would benefit your career?
This internship helped me believe that I am capable and ready to enter the communications field. With the help of my mentors, I’ve proven to myself that the journalistic and communications skills I’ve been building since high school are transferrable, valuable and have prepared me for the start of a meaningful career. As a recent grad and young professional, my imposter syndrome made me doubt myself at times. Working at Gard has allowed me to embrace the skills I came in here with, gain extremely valuable skills, and it taught me how to use curiosity as a helpful tool in the workplace especially when navigating the unknown.
What is something that you learned about yourself during your internship?
I learned that I thrive in environments where the work doesn’t look the same every day. Juggling multiple projects at once keeps me on my feet, creative and motivated. I was able to realize this because Gard gave me the opportunity to hop on projects with various clients, and I genuinely had fun learning about each one of them from a communications perspective.
If you were going to recommend Gard to a friend, what would you say?
I would tell them that the intention, kindness and passion of the people of Gard sets the agency apart. Moreover, I would advise them to ask questions, voice their goals and say yes to as many opportunities as possible because they will be listened to. I would also mention that you can never go wrong with being yourself here.