The tools I use at this internship fall into a few different categories depending on what I am working on, and I have found that matching the right tool to the right task makes a significant difference in how efficiently the work gets done.

For the logo redesign, my process starts analog. My sketchbook is where the earliest thinking happens — rough marks, shape explorations, ideas that are not ready to be on a screen yet. Sketching first keeps me from locking into something too early, which is a trap that design software can make very easy to fall into. Once I have a direction worth developing, I move into Adobe Illustrator to build it out properly.

Research and inspiration for both the logo and the social media work lives primarily on Pinterest and Google. Pinterest is where I build moodboards — pulling references for visual direction, color relationships, typography, and tone. Google fills in the gaps, especially when I need to look at how comparable programs or brands are presenting themselves and where there is room to do something more distinctive. Moodboarding is not a preliminary step I rush through. It is where the strategic thinking about a project’s visual identity actually takes shape.

For social media content creation I work across three platforms depending on what the content calls for. Canva handles a lot of the templated work — it is fast, flexible, and produces assets that others in the department can edit without needing design software expertise. Adobe Express is useful for quick, polished graphics when I need something that looks more refined without a long production process. CapCut handles video and reel content, which is increasingly central to how the department’s social media needs to show up, particularly on Instagram.

Having fluency across all of these tools rather than defaulting to just one has made me more adaptable and more useful to the department overall.

The most meaningful collaborative experience I have had during this internship has been working with the other interns on the Alumni Spotlight template. What started as an individual design task became a much richer process once I brought the rest of the team into it.

The senior intern was particularly valuable to this process. She had context I did not have yet: an understanding of what the department actually needs from a template, how approvals move through the various teams, and where the execution tends to get complicated. Rather than learning all of that the hard way, I was able to sit with her early and get an honest picture of what I was walking into. That kind of institutional knowledge is not written down anywhere. It lives with the people who have been there long enough to have run into the walls.

Her input helped me think through the template not just as a design object but as a working document that multiple people would need to use, approve, and maintain. A template that looks good but creates friction in the approval process or is difficult for non-designers to work with is not actually a successful template. Thinking through those pain points before I got too deep into the design saved me from having to backtrack later.

The collaboration also reinforced something I think is easy to underestimate when you are early in your career — other people’s experience is one of the most useful resources available to you, and asking for that input directly is not a sign that you do not know what you are doing. It is exactly the opposite. The interns who learn the most are usually the ones willing to ask the most honest questions.

My day at the Hospitality Management department starts with reviewing the task sheet. That document is my anchor for the day, it tells me what has been assigned, what is pending, and where my attention needs to go. I work through whatever tasks are on my list, which can range from creating individual social media assets to updating templates to researching content ideas for upcoming posts. The task sheet keeps the work organized and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Some days require me to step away from the desk and be present at department events. Those are content-gathering opportunities, capturing photos, taking notes, and collecting the kind of real, in-the-moment material that makes institutional social media feel alive rather than produced. Being at those events is part of the job, and showing up prepared to document them is a skill in itself. You have to know what you are looking for before you walk in the room.

Alongside the daily tasks, I am also working on two longer-term projects that run in the background throughout the internship. The first is a logo redesign for the department, a more involved identity project that requires a different kind of thinking than day-to-day content production. The second is building out a comprehensive set of social media templates that the department can use consistently going forward. Both projects have a longer horizon than any single task on the sheet, so I carve out time for them regularly rather than waiting until everything else is done.

The balance between immediate tasks and long-term projects is something I am actively managing. The daily work keeps things moving. The longer projects are what leave something behind.

The Hospitality Management department is housed at City Tech’s campus in downtown Brooklyn, in the Namm Building near the MetroTech Center. The campus sits in a neighborhood surrounded by courts, government offices, corporate headquarters, and the everyday foot traffic of a working Brooklyn neighborhood.

The department’s administrative environment is relatively compact. Staff and faculty work in offices connected to classrooms and program spaces, which means there is a genuine sense of proximity to the academic mission of the place.

My work as a social media strategist is split between on-site time and remote work. When I am on campus, I am in meetings, attending events to gather content, getting feedback on designs from the other interns or working through strategy with faculty and staff. When I am working remotely, I am producing: designing assets, drafting copy, managing the content calendar, and building out the visual systems the department uses across its platforms.

The hybrid structure requires a different kind of discipline than a fully in-person role. I have found that showing up to campus with a clear agenda, specific conversations I want to have, specific content I want to capture, makes the on-site time significantly more productive.

There is also something valuable about being physically present in the environment you are creating content about. Walking through the department, talking to students and faculty in person, seeing how the space actually functions, that kind of ground-level observation consistently makes the content better.

My title at the Hospitality Management department is social media strategist. In practice, that role covers a wider range of responsibilities than the title alone suggests. I develop content strategy, create and design visual assets and media, write copy, manage content calendars, and think through how the department’s brand identity should show up across its digital platforms.

The strategy side of the work means I am thinking about the department’s communications at a level above any individual post. Who is the audience? What does the department want people to know, feel, and do as a result of engaging with its content? How does each platform serve a different function for a different slice of that audience? Those are strategic questions, and they have to be answered before any design work happens.

The design and execution side means I am building the actual content: carousels, graphics, branded templates, and visual systems that give the department’s social presence a consistent and professional look. I developed an Instagram carousel series called Alumni Voices that spotlights graduates of the Hospitality Management program, using the department’s blue and yellow identity in a way that reads as contemporary and polished without losing institutional credibility.

I also contribute to the department’s broader brand thinking. Part of my work has involved looking at how the department presents itself visually across different touchpoints and identifying where that presentation is inconsistent or underdeveloped. That kind of audit work is not glamorous, but it is foundational to building a brand that actually functions.

This role has given me a clear view of the gap that often exists between how an institution thinks about itself and how it communicates externally. Closing that gap, through strategy and design, is where the most meaningful work happens.

My internship is with the Hospitality Management department at New York City College of Technology, commonly known as City Tech. City Tech is a four-year college within the City University of New York system, located in downtown Brooklyn. The Hospitality Management department sits within the School of Professional Studies and prepares students for careers across the hospitality industry — including hotel management, food service, event planning, tourism, and related fields.

The department offers programs that blend academic instruction with hands-on industry preparation. Its curriculum is designed to reflect the real conditions of working in hospitality — a fast-moving, service-driven field where communication, presentation, and brand reputation matter as much as operational knowledge. Students come from a range of backgrounds, and many are working in the industry while completing their degrees.

My role sits inside the department’s administrative and communications infrastructure. I function as a social media strategist, responsible for developing the department’s content presence, strengthening its brand identity, and building the kind of digital visibility that helps prospective students, current students, and industry partners understand who the department is and what it stands for.

City Tech as an institution serves a predominantly working-class, first-generation, and minority student population. That context shapes everything about how I approach the department’s communications. The work is not just about aesthetics or follower counts. It is about reflecting the actual community the department serves and making that community feel seen and represented in the content we produce.