The Mintz + Hoke Internship Experience: Summer 2024

When we welcome a new intern, we make it our mission to ensure they get a bite of the whole pie, not just a slice. We introduce them to all our different practice areas, helping them discover where their passions may lie, because when we grasp the full picture, we can deliver creative, impactful solutions.

One of our summer interns, Ariella Reynolds, had the opportunity to do just that. A rising sophomore studying Behavioral Decision Sciences at Brown University, Ariella immersed herself in all practice areas at Mintz + Hoke, seeing how each part makes a whole. Read more about her internship experience below.

What type of work have you done?

Throughout my time at Mintz + Hoke, I was given the opportunity to create value across several different tasks, all of which not only allowed me to utilize my writing skills but also improve them in a substantive and meaningful way. For instance, I was responsible for conducting extensive Google searches to locate marketing agencies in the surrounding area, recording information on their services, and capturing their contact information, as well as that of nearby universities, to reach out to them in the future. I also took part in an inclusive employment campaign, for which I found a selection of nonprofits that offer grants to support competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities.

In addition, I was able to use my writing skills within my work. One assignment asked me to find 20 sleep-related articles and create summaries for each one, which I would share with the agency. Moreover, I created several email templates to send to various marketing agencies and universities.

Finally, Mintz + Hoke gave me the chance to learn about a myriad of practices, including media, creative, client service, digital, and strategy. This allowed me to discover which practices are best suited to my strengths. Moreover, I was able to engage with other M+H employees and further immerse myself in M+H’s operations by participating in agency-wide meetings.

Each of these experiences was crucial in giving me an idea of what it means to work in an agency environment and how I can continue to leverage my research and writing skills within that type of setting in the future. I am extremely grateful for every one of them.

What has your experience at Mintz + Hoke been like?

My experience at M+H has been exceptional. Everyone is passionate about their work and excited to be here, an attitude that is truly reflected in their warm, friendly environment and collaborative atmosphere. Through my introductions to each practice, I was able to get to know many of the people within the agency, all of whom were so happy to share their experiences at M+H and were so helpful in answering any questions that I had about the company or their work. Though I only worked in-person once a week, by the end of my internship, I really felt as if I were a part of the team.

What is one thing you learned that you never expected to? 

I never expected to learn so much about various agency practices. While I went into my internship knowing that I wanted to pursue marketing as a potential career path, I didn’t yet know where I wanted my focus to lie within the field and did not imagine that I could have gotten the chance to get a better idea of that at my very first marketing internship. After being introduced to each practice, I realized that I am really passionate about strategy work, an area that I plan on continuing to explore in the future.

Now that you’ve experienced our Immersively Different Mintz + Hoke mindset, what does being Immersively Different mean to you and how can it help you in your career?

To me, being Immersively Different means empathizing with the customer, prioritizing what they truly want and need with the goal of arriving not just at the most effective solutions, but at the most human-centered ones. Similarly to the principle of immersing oneself in a foreign language, being Immersively Different puts away our own pretenses and beliefs (in this case, about what a customer ostensibly wants), and focuses instead on genuinely achieving an understanding of another world (i.e., the customers).

Through this commitment to getting to the very core of what matters to a customer, the Immersively Different philosophy has the power to move anyone, from the greatest company cheerleader to the most cynical skeptic.

I anticipate that this will continually help me not just as a part of my career, but throughout all my interpersonal interactions. As a marketer, the Immersively Different mindset will encourage me to listen to the customer and draw on their emotions as a tool that will enable me to look for more creative solutions—ones that will sincerely benefit the customer. However, the ability to empathize is a superpower that can extend to any conversation, task, or event that asks us to understand what the other person is feeling and thinking.

I know this superpower will make me a better employee, a better manager at some point, a better researcher, and most importantly, a better human being. 

Connect with Ariella on LinkedIn.