Internships are really what you make of them. They can be as exciting or as boring as you make it – like most other things in life, it’s all about your mindset! If you come into your internship everyday thinking “I GET to come work in this awesome internship role” versus “I HAVE to come” then you automatically come with a certain level of drive and ambition to make things happen for yourself that day!

In the business world, networking is really the ultimate way to navigate yourself through different opportunities. Wherever you go, meeting and getting to know people is key to acclimating yourself to a new environment and workspace. So, I made the effort to meet with as many Hasbro employees as I could from all different cross-functional aspects. I wanted to know how all the puzzle pieces fit together to create this thrilling yet riveting process of toy-creation. The culture at Hasbro is warm and welcoming – so every employee I reached out to was very willing to meet with me and chat, whether it be about their job role, career, or just life in general. I have not only learned about utilizing excel sheets to forecast financials or creating project manager schedules, but also about the best donut places in Rhode Island and different running marathons all over the world. Creating these connections with people not only can help on the career-front, but also to create life-long friends.

A lot of this connecting would not have happened had I not taken the initiative to reach out to people and get out of my comfort zone. As interns we may think that employees are very busy, and we don’t want to disturb them with our questions, but much assured they are always happy to meet and will make the time for you!

Another key aspect that has helped me is to challenge myself as much as possible. Often as interns we may think that we’re not getting enough work to do. I believe there is always work that can be done – you just need to dig a little deeper. Apart from projects I was given by my manager, I would take them a step further and self-start some side projects that further facilitated my immediate projects. Every time, she was happy to see how far I extended my work instead of doing only what was expected of me. From this, I was able to set up my own conference with the LA team to present competitive findings, which was a self-starting initiative that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t taken that extra stride.

I guess my point is, sometimes half the game is the mindset you put yourself in, every day! I strive to be a life-long learner, inside the office and out. This can be applicable to anything – but the moment you have that level of ambition to grow and utilize that school of thought in whatever you do that’s the moment you’ll gain skills that are transferable in every aspect of life!

Audreela, University of Pittsburgh

Marketing Intern- Global Brand Development