By: Nina Ferguson
I am so grateful to have spent the past semester interning for GBSN. Over the past couple of months a lot has changed for me. This internship has been meaningful as I am about to enter the ‘real world’. This daunting idea is slowly diminishing after having such an incredible time with the GBSN team. As a Business major at American University with a specialization in Marketing, this internship aligned perfectly with my growing interest for external communication, social media marketing, and planning the logistics for international events. Each task that was assigned to me consisted of learning something new, never experiencing any redundancy in assigned projects. For this incredible learning opportunity I have to thank my supervisor, Nicole Zefran who was always prepared to answer my questions and show me how to simplify assigned tasks.
At GBSN I was given the chance to test my abilities and explore what interested me the most. I was able to sit in on weekly office meetings, webinars, write blogs, communicate with other professionals and further understand all that goes into running a small non-profit with big initiatives. Even after four months, it was clear to me that GBSN is a fast growing non-profit with a consistent stream of new opportunities and an engaged network of top level institutions eager to engage in the mission.
The opportunity to support the planning, execution and promotion of the GBSN Annual Conference in Ghana, has elevated my curiosity for international event planning to new levels. Most of my time at GBSN consisted of providing marketing and logistical support to the team towards the preparation for the GBSN Annual Conference, which took place at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). I assisted with the communication with speakers, sending visa letters, writing promotional blogs, updating the conference website, researching event venues and prices, and many other logistical tasks. This gave me a sense of how difficult it can be to, not only plan and execute a well thought out event, but to communicate and coordinate with international partners. Experiencing the tough navigation of cultural barriers was a big part of my learning process.
I have learned more than I ever thought possible in these past four months and extend my gratitude to the entire GBSN team, for this wonderful opportunity. I never once felt like an ‘intern’, but more an integral part of the tight knit team that is GBSN. I will miss coming into the office and am assured the next intern will have a great experience too.
Nina Ferguson was the Fall Communications and Event Planning Intern at the Global Business School Network. She is coming into her final semester at American University.