Author: Jesenia Oquendo

When Melanin Mommas gave me the option to work from home at times, I was exhilarated. Being a full-time student and working a full-time job, balancing both I knew was going to be a challenge with having an internship added on. Now, of course my thoughts were “This is great, I don’t have to leave/miss work or school in order to make it to internship or vice versa.” The weirdest thing was that working from home during some days weren’t the best. There were a few times during the internship that I found myself on my way to grab some items left at the office or there for the duration of the day working because the ideas would come more faster.

It was something about being in a space that you see developing and creating in that space that motivated me to do more. Trying to think outside of the box and not creating something that we’ve all seen was something that my supervisor said was needed and expected. Coming up with that content, every single day was challenging and sometimes it just popped in my mind like a light bulb to then be transferred into a post for individuals to see. If I were to do this internship again, I would probably work more in the office and not so much at home. Many things I would change, but the experience would always be different. Utilizing the workers there more instead of working very closely with my supervisor is one of the main things I would change. When I’d decide, ‘hey, I     don’t want to stay home, Im going to go in and give some ideas instead of emailing or talking through video chat’, the sharing of ideas and opinions are able to be appreciated.

I’m pretty sure when designing, mockups are always something we’re used to doing. After the logo was created, placing it on mockup stationary was an idea that came to mind. I wanted to make sure the logo was legible on items as small as an envelope and as clean on a business card or letterhead. Since companies are utilizing technology now, we even attempted to create designs in the event they ever decided to create an app. Of course, we stood with the nude color palette. I’ve even decided to play around on the business card, using a background behind the logo to see if it would pop more than it would on a white background. Using the mockup to portray the logo helped my supervisor have a visual of how the logo would look on everyday items that would be used. 

The last project that was to be done was an about page for when the web designer came in to insert it on Melanin Mommas homepage. The founder had scheduled a photoshoot with her son, playing at the park. We were to design the page, utilizing the color hex codes collected from the logo and social posts.

At the last minute, the photoshoot was cancelled and we didn’t know what to do. There was no way to start from scratch with two days left. We ended up having an emergency meeting because my supervisor wanted to have me design the about page before the internship was over. Instead, we used an older photo of her and her son, using a nude color palette throughout. We wanted the photoshoot new/fresh content, yet time wasn’t working for us.

My supervisor is a great mentor. Not only did she have a vision for her company of what she wanted to achieve, she also helped develop one for me. Knowing I’m a college senior, she loved to give constructive feedback and explained to me how having a goal of what I wanted to achieve for myself is the beginning of accomplishing my goal.

Even when we wouldn’t see one another at work, she always made herself accessible being a phone call/text away. She also had our mentoring relationship happen organically. The respect for one another was mutual. Even when she would call me out, I  was able to accept the criticism and knew it would help me.

Looking back, being able to work side by side with the founder starting from the bottom with a company and letting my voice be heard was an amazing experience.

I can say my work throughout the internship was great and I  know I was appreciated due to the many conversations my supervisor and I would have. The one thing that moved me the most was when my supervisor pulled me to the side to let me know how much she had appreciated me and always giving her updates. She stated greatness would come and individuals would love my work ethic.

The work created was exciting and sometimes challenging but that’s what made it so successful. My ideas were placed in the open and making a plan 100% helped in the long run.

The amount of creative individuals at Melanin Mommas is amazing. The only problem is agreeing on something. On Sundays, we usually do meetings with mood boards explaining what is going to be posted, what colors are going to be used and what message is going to be portrayed at that specific time. It’s a lot to deal with when you have 6-8 people giving you ideas from opposite viewpoints.

Being a content curator, I have a upper hand on design decisions yet I love listening in on peoples opinions and trying to accommodate each idea. The one project I enjoyed the most was designing the logo for Melanin Mommas. I was able to collaborate with the founder. I was very excited for this because there was an intimacy being able to design with the person who brought this company altogether.

While designing the logo, the amount of communication was probably the most throughout the entire internship. We were speaking every single day due to the logo being designed in a week. Instead of waiting to meet at the end of the week, we were back and forth sending jpeg files to one another and debating which font would be most efficient.

What was most successful of the project was putting our brains together right at the beginning. This helped us understand one another straight from the beginning. The only thing I  would change is being able to create stationary designs with black and white instead of just color. The color worked so well yet it would’ve been great to see how the logo was to look in black and white.

I can say that this is the first time I worked someplace where the outfits were very different and out there. It was as if I was walking down a runway everyday. The amount of vibrant colors, textures and material the clothing people wore at the same time was very fashionable. From snake print and cat-eye glasses to latex pants and a see-through raincoat, the outfits were very different. I  enjoyed how loud it was and the energy was very positive.

There were no cubicles or offices, yet we would have an open space, that would be where we would all bring our ideas together and talk about how the event planning and content designs we’re going. Thats usually how we would start our day, meeting in Jersey City or coffee shops around the city where we could chat about any updates. Then, there would usually be a drawing board that came up and one at a time, we would break down color palettes and content that would unify the company as a whole. There was a need of cohesiveness from the website, to social media, to the logo, and to events. Even when the day was over, we would keep in touch over the weekends to see if there was any change that needed to be done or updated.

I worked as the content curator of the company. My job was to make sure fresh content was posted in order to stay active with our Melanin Momma followers.

It’s a bit of a weird story when explaining how I  obtained the position as an intern for this company.  I attended one of the events from seeing a link of instagram and I work with the founder at my full-time job. I went to show support by going to her personal companies event and was enthralled to see how she talked to a group of people; a village.

After the event was over and I  went to congratulate her and give her some fearless feedback. She was open to hearing what I had to say an appreciated the help I was interesting in helping her with.  The perfect moment was then as well because her intern just went on leave.

Her main focus when she interviewed me was how was I on flexibility because she has 3 jobs which included being an event planner at Apple, Founder of Melanin Mommas and a full-time mother. She basically summed up how things can pop up and some designs and content might have shorter deadlines than others. My concern was working full time and being a full-time student and not being able to be able to meet during certain times so we made a schedule we were both able to do and some content I was able to work remotely from home or on-the-go with some occasionally conference web meetings. After that, everything began to flow a bit more smoothly.

We were queens, she told her daughters, long before the crowns arrived.

 

I’ve recently got a position being an intern at Melanin Mommas. Being at one of the companies fund raisers/events, I experienced what the company had needed and what their story is. The founder of the company just as the women of Melanin Mommas is a mother of color who wants to share her story with the world in order to guide them and embrace them in such a way, they can succeed and be strong.

I worked as the content curator of the company. My job was to make sure fresh content was posted in order to stay active with our Melanin Momma followers.

The company is a public company and the clients are woman of different cultures who are seeking guidance, a place to speak and knowledge. The personalities were very different depending on the backstory of the individual yet all of the women shared the same mindset.

The location of Melanin Mommas is in Jersey City and is about 7-15 employees in attendance at a time. The company was founded by a woman shortly after she had given birth to her son. She wanted to have individuals understand the struggle and love a mother has to grow through and how the journey of motherhood is.

“A Melanin Momma comes from all walks of life. She is any shade as we all contain melanin. She is wondrous, and beautifully made. She embraces cultural and is proud of her heritage. She fights the fight and walks the walk. She does take no for an answer. She is triumphant. She is… SHE IS YOU.”Melanin Mommas is a space where wonderful moments of motherhood, strength questions and guidance can be shared amongst one another. On their website, young moms are able to identify with one another, inspire as well as motivate one another. The size of the company is relatively small (roughly 5-10 employees) and only has one location located in Jersey City. Within the organization, I work with the social media team, making sure the blog page is maintained and is currently what is being built. The instagram page is always uploaded with fresh content and posts to inspire mothers who were new, old, or coming into motherhood that needs guidance and support.