Looking for a creative internship opportunity? Pathfinder paves the way for various avenues of learning experience for students. Pathfinder is a creative marketing agency whose purpose is to deliver strategic storytelling to its clients. They work to assist organizations in curating their own unique vision. Continue to learn more about what this experience looks like from the perspective of several past interns, Sophie Donelli, senior at Olivet Nazarene University and Sophie Murukas, Olivet alumna.
Sophie Donelli: Graphic Design Intern
Picture by: Faith Horn
Donelli discovered Pathfinder upon her search for an internship involving graphic design and marketing. Through Handshake, she found that Pathfinder was looking for graphic design interns. She was immediately looking forward to the experience after an interview with Brian Prairie.
Pathfinder excels in working with brands and companies in the area, bringing quality solutions, Donelli said.
“They were always striving to bring their clients the best results possible and were consistently gaining new clients,” she said.
Donelli explains that she was only a freshman at the time of the internship, having only taken beginner Photoshop and design classes. She had much to learn and was apprehensive about going into the position, but the people within her work environment were encouraging and welcoming, so she never felt afraid to ask a question. Everyone on the team was willing to guide her through the learning process.
As an intern, there is no better time to ask questions than right now.”
-Sophie Donelli
Picture by: Brian Prairie, Pathfinder
Sophie Murukas: Intern to Content Specialist
Sophie Murukas credits Heather McLaughlin, chair of the Communication Department for bringing Pathfinder to the forefront of her mind when searching for an internship opportunity as a content specialist. This role manages developing content for clients’ websites as well as internal marketing content. Murukas explains that Katherine Henson was a great help in terms of giving her insight on creating content, giving her a behind-the-scenes look of the marketing world, and learning how to please clients.
Photo By: Sophie Murukas
Working in an environment where everyone was kind, helpful, and flexible, made it easy for her to ask questions. Oftentimes, Murukas would go with Henson to take photos as well as meet weekly to discuss what was working and what could be improved on. Being able to accept and work with constructive criticism was another aspect of the job that was super important for learning and growth purposes.
Starting off served as a learning curve, Murukas explains, because she had never had the freedom of creating her own content. Although, with time, Murukas was able to understand the importance of researching these specific companies and brands to then add her own touch, making sure that whatever she had created was authentic to the company.
Pictured by: Faith Horn
Murukas mentions that the office environment was nice, yet being able to do most of her work remotely worked best with her busy student schedule as she wrapped up her senior year at Olivet Nazarene University. Some advice she would give to someone planning to take on this role would be to not be afraid to ask questions or make mistakes and to be open to constructive criticism.
To find out more on other internship experiences and opportunities, take a look at A Wonderland of Kids & Theatre: Sydney Lang’s BAMtheatre Internship Experience on Sydney Lang’s theatre internship experience.
