Sophie Guggenheim is our newest Account Services Intern. Hailing from Savannah, GA, Sophie is a Communications major at the College of Charleston preparing to graduate in May 2020.
She’s been a big help to the Account Services team so far, and an all-around delight to have in the office. We took some time to let her tell us a little more about herself and here’s what she had to say.
How did you discover BG and what made you want to become an intern?
My dad and Jorge met in Atlanta back in the day. In fact, Jorge was my dad’s first friend in America and they’ve been tight ever since. They had an ad agency/photography studio together before my parents moved to Savannah.
When it came time to choose an internship for the summer I researched my options, but I was still really interested in what BG did. I found the idea of doing something for the greater good resonated with me because I think that is so important, and BG really seems to focus on doing good for the community.
What was your first day like?
On my first day I was really nervous and as soon as I got here, my shoe broke!
They immediately had me diving into actual projects and not just getting coffee or menial tasks—which I thought was really cool. I was like, “Wow! I’m actually going to learn a lot…and so far I have.”
What’s a typical day in the office like for you?
Some days I’ll work on BG social media. On others I might be working on a client’s editorial calendar, or an audit, or internal admin stuff on occasion. What I like about it is that it’s not the same thing every day.
What’s the most important thing you took from your educational experience that prepared you for this role?
I had an internship last summer with a PR company that really helped with the social media side. I’ve taken a few research classes at school but I think the biggest thing is just learning as you go. You start to learn how to apply the theories they teach you in school and realize, “Oh, so that’s why they taught me X, Y or Z in that class.” So I think all of that has helped me know how to best approach a particular situation.
What do you hope to learn and take away from your experience here?
Mostly, I just hope to learn a lot of the basic skills that are needed in a day-to-day job, because we just get taught the theories in school and don’t get to apply them to real-world situations as much as I’d like. That part alone has been really interesting for me. For example, one project I’m working on has forced me to really dig into Excel. I’ve learned how to use that program in new ways which is something we don’t do much of in my Communications classes—even though it seems to be a pretty useful tool for planning and tracking.
I also want to learn how to communicate effectively in an office setting as opposed to a classroom or any of the retail jobs I’ve worked before.
And then, I want to get the full experience so I can make sure that this is what I actually want to do for a living. I was really scared that I would do this and realize that I totally picked the wrong major, but that hasn’t happened yet, so I think we’re good!
What are your career goals?
Right now I just want to have a job that I like. I’m trying not to think about it too much because it stresses me out. I think I want to stay on the East Coast, and I definitely want to be in advertising doing something similar to what I’ve been doing here because I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I’m interested in so many things, so I think that if I just found a company with a good culture that’s putting something cool out into the world, I would be good with that.
What do you do in your spare time?
When I’m at school I work a retail job as well as a part-time job for the College of Charleston. I’m in the Chi Omega sorority and we volunteer with Make-A-Wish Foundation and various soup kitchens. It’s been really amazing helping out the kids in Charleston, and it’s been really eye-opening to see what some of these families are going through.
I’m also the Career & Personal Development Chair for my sorority chapter. My job is to help the girls find stability in their lives and plan for the future. I mostly focus on trying to get them to use social media in a way that benefits them and won’t hurt them later on when they are looking for jobs. I also organize fitness classes and mental health counseling.
Other than that, I love the outdoors, sailing, and being on the water any chance I get.
Sophie has been a tremendous help around the office thus far, and we’ll certainly miss her when she returns to school at the end of her internship. We’re already a bit jealous of wherever she ends up. They’ll be incredibly lucky to have her!
