I didn’t know what to expect from my upcoming internship with Reynolds. The role I accepted would be my first exposure to the corporate world. On top of that, I would be commuting from Cincinnati – a two hour round trip each day. I knew that meant I’d be spending lots of time on the road and away from my friends at school. I was anxious heading into the summer as a Reynolds intern, but what I gained from the experience surpassed anything I may have imagined.

One of the best parts of my experience at Reynolds was working with people who truly cared about my success and my experience in this role. It started with the recruiting process. I worked one on one with a recruiter who expressed his excitement that I would be coming on board for the summer. Each day over the summer, it was clear that everyone I worked with had my best interests at heart.

In addition to the people, I thoroughly enjoyed the work and responsibilities I was trusted with. My role as a content marketing intern consisted of writing blog content, news releases, and other pieces for Reynolds and its subsidiary companies. I also contributed to the company’s social media efforts, which gave diversity to my every-day work.

Before I started my internship, I had no idea that I would be trusted to post customer-facing content or take a lead role in the writing process. The fact that I have had multiple pieces published makes me feel I have truly contributed to the company – something I’m sure a lot of interns can’t say. I didn’t know I would enjoy the work as much as I do, but my team has made the process easy and enjoyable.

Though I loved the work and the people, my favorite part about interning with Reynolds was the sense of community that developed among my fellow interns, as well as my coworkers. As an intern who my colleagues knew would leave after a few months, it would be easy for them to treat me as such and keep their distance; however, they made me feel welcome – as if I was a part of the full-time Reynolds family.

While the daily commute of 52 miles, uphill both ways (ha), was grueling and took a lot out of me, I’m going to miss my time and the friends I’ve made at Reynolds. I am excited though, to take the knowledge and skills I gained back with me to the University of Cincinnati and use them to excel in my courses and future endeavors.

I would recommend this internship to anyone looking to gain experience in the corporate world but unwilling to sacrifice the ability to have fun. At Reynolds you get the best of both worlds.