Graduate student interns with Omaha creative agency
CHADRON – Chadron State College graduate student Kaci Waugh recently completed a summer internship with Bailey Lauerman, an Omaha-based creative agency, as a result of participating in Meet the Pros in March. During the conference, students from CSC and other institutions meet professionals in their career field who review their resumes or portfolios, offer advice, and answer questions.
“I was really grateful for the opportunity and it turned out to be something so much more than I thought it would be,” Waugh said. “Working on research and just seeing how people work together to create something is so interesting.”
Her interest in Bailey Lauerman originated when she heard CEO Greg Andersen speak during Meet the Pros.
“I was really impressed by his story and the company. I took it upon myself to do a little more research from there,” Waugh said.
Waugh was matched with Abby Meyer from Bailey Lauerman.
“She gave me a little more insight and then from there we got connected on LinkedIn and continued to stay in touch. During the summer, I looked for opportunities for internships, saw they had one and applied,” Waugh said.
Waugh completed several rounds of interviews and was offered one of six internship positions.
“Kaci took the initiative to follow up after Meet the Pros and connect with professionals. That’s what it takes. She applied what she learned,” said Dr. Shaunda French-Collins, adviser for The Big Event. “I'm proud of Kaci because this is well deserved. She did all the things we hope students will do.”
Waugh worked for four weeks with a team of interns and professionals at Bailey Lauerman to create a pro bono proposal for one of the firm’s existing clients, Opera Omaha. The team made its final presentation Aug. 6. She said the client was really excited with the ideas and depth of research involved in the proposal.
Waugh is intrigued by the culture of the organization.
“Culture is something that's super important to them. They have a culture club and create events and have fun gatherings. It's great be part of something like that,” Waugh said. “Bailey Lauerman really values their employees and cares about their well-being which is so important, especially in a quick-paced industry where you could be working a lot of hours a week. The office atmosphere is pretty collaborative in general so we were always seeing each other and getting to know each other really well,” she said.
Each student intern was assigned a mentor. Associate Social Media Director Moira Delaney was Waugh’s.
“They were always there to offer advice, help and guide us. Moira was great to learn from and really helpful. She was willing to answer any of my questions,” Waugh said. “During the first week of the internship, the full-time staff did little, special, fun things to welcome everyone back because they had been remote. They wanted to make sure everyone felt welcome.”
Waugh said the internship was a valuable experience that supplemented her classroom work and vice versa.
“I’ve been able to apply what I learned in my classes and through working on The Big Event. Also, everything I learned in a real-life scenario is going to benefit me this fall when I start to dig into my digital marketing classes with my MBA,” Waugh said.
—Tena L. Cook, Marketing Coordinator
Category: Campus News, Student Awards & Achievements