Meet Lauren Crank, a fourth-year public relations student who also happens to have a pretty cool internship here on campus. You may recognize her as USC’s “Snapchat Girl,” because Lauren is a senior social media intern in the Office of Digital Strategy and Communications. She shared some of her experiences working with USC’s social media and her advice for students looking for internships with us.
Her Campus South Carolina: How did you find out about this internship?
Lauren Crank: A friend of mine tagged me in my boss’s (@cjlake) tweet about the job! I replied back, and the rest is history.
HCSC: What made you decide to go for it?
LC: I had been interested in doing social media for a larger brand for a few months before I applied in September of 2016. I had started branching out by managing the social media channels for my on campus a cappella group, Resonance, and I wanted to explore a potential career in it. It was also the right time to start looking for an internship, which my JSchool advisor pointed out the last time we had spoken.
HCSC: What are your responsibilities?
LC: Primarily, I act as UofSC’s “Snapchat Girl”, meaning that I represent the university at notable student events on our channel, @UofSCOfficial. I organize and guide student and alumni Snapchat takeovers (like the SASunday series), schedule posts on other platforms and gather content for future use alongside the rest of the intern team. I also collect and report on a lot of data from our posts.
HCSC: What kind of opportunities has this internship opened up for you?
LC: This internship has completely changed my relationship with Carolina, and most of that credit has to go towards my wonderful mentor and boss, CJ Lake. She is so knowledgeable and passionate for her craft that I couldn’t avoid adopting the same attitude. Since I began my internship, I have had access to some incredible learning opportunities, potential career connections and (most importantly), gained a few Twitter followers!
HCSC: During March Madness, USC social media started getting a lot of attention. What was it like being a part of that?
LC: That was absolutely insane, but I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. I believe CJ was crowned the official queen of Twitter that week, and my fellow intern, Hank Johnson, made some incredible video content. It’s amazing to be a part of this team all of the time, but I can say without a doubt that March Madness was one of my top five #UofSCSocial moments.
HCSC: What is it like to work for USC?
LC: I’d say that there’s truly no better experience for a Gamecock looking to join the social media strategy field. Not only is our mentor top notch, but UofSC is one of the biggest brands in the state. You really get to learn how to manage a brand with a large following, and that experience will be so valuable to draw upon once I enter the “real world”. I’ve also gotten to experience some incredible UofSC moments as an intern that I would not have had access to as a student. How many people can say that they’ve had a one-on-one with an Olympian?
HCSC: What advice would you give to other students who are looking for internships?
LC: Be active on all platforms, and utilize your resources in your college or school. Make sure that you’re marketing yourself as an incredible hire everywhere! You never know if your next job could come from your Twitter feed.
Check out Lauren on Twitter and Instagram: @lauren_crank