Internship Insider: Destination Cleveland

By Kaylee Britt 

Working at Destination Cleveland for the past eight months has been one of my most rewarding experiences as a student. As the content intern, I work closely with the social media and website team.

In this role, I write blogs, make website updates, attend weekly marketing and digital meetings and assist with team needs. Throughout my internship, I have built professional relationships with industry professionals in Cleveland, including my supervisor, John Lutern, and the rest of the Destination Cleveland staff.

I have truly enjoyed working with everyone at the organization. It is one of the most positive, motivating and supportive work environments I have experienced. As my first in-office internship, it helped me gain confidence in a professional setting while teaching me the value of a collaborative team.

What I Learned
One of the most valuable lessons I learned is that making mistakes at a new job is normal. Everyone is constantly learning: what matters most is taking responsibility and working to correct those mistakes.

I also learned the importance of time management while balancing professional and student roles. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by classes, internships and commitments, but I found success by focusing on one responsibility at a time. When at work, I dedicated my full attention to my role.

Another key takeaway was the value of talking to colleagues. Chatting and listening to others share their professional and personal experiences shifted my perspective on my own career possibilities. There is so much to learn through curiosity and openness to conversation.

Looking Ahead
In the future, I hope to land a creative role. Storytelling has always been a passion of mine, and this internship introduced a new outlet for it; writing blogs quickly became my favorite part of the experience.

Through these blogs, I told stories for visitors while learning more about Cleveland myself. Not being from the area made writing a bit of a challenge at first, since I grew up in Toledo, but I grew to love Downtown Cleveland. I spent weekdays and weekends exploring the city, which strengthened both my writing and my connection to the content.
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Commuting from Kent to Cleveland was the most difficult part of the job, but I would not change the experience. It was a privilege to work in a professional environment alongside such an incredible staff and supervisor. I would encourage any Kent State student to apply if given the opportunity. The personal, professional and writing growth I experienced during this internship has been invaluable.

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