Discovering my passion as a summer intern in digital communications

When I applied to be a digital communications intern at Hawaiian Electric, I knew I’d be creating content, but I didn’t expect to learn so much more outside of that! I’ve learned so many things about substations, power plant processes and even video editing, all of which exceeded my expectations for a summer internship program.

As a Business Information Systems student at Oregon State University, this internship gave me the chance to put the skills I learned in school into practice, and it’s been such a unique experience! This summer I was given the opportunity to work closely with the digital communications team. They taught me everything from how to capture video footage to help craft a story to how to make it usable for an actual social media post.

One of the things that stood out to me about Hawaiian Electric’s internship was how many interns get placed into different departments, from finance to marketing to electrical engineering. There really is something for everyone! Even if your major isn’t directly aligned with a specific intern position, I’d still encourage you to apply because you’re given the opportunity to explore different departments and projects to see where your skills fit in ways you might not expect.

As someone who went out of state for college, being back home for the summer and getting to work alongside so many people who care about Hawaii just made the experience complete. It reminded me of how considerate everyone in Hawaii is, which reflects the true aloha spirit and the values I grew up with. It gave the internship a different kind of meaning beyond just experience.

One of my main projects this summer was documenting fellow interns across the company, which gave me the chance to connect with people I never would have crossed paths with otherwise. I was fortunate enough to take a day trip to Hilo to interview Jared Saludares, the safety summer intern on Hawaii Island, for our “Coffee Chat” video series for social media.

“Coffee Chat” quickly became a project I got to shape from the ground up. Beyond filming and production, I designed the logo for the series myself, which was such a unique opportunity to see my design come to life. It was exciting to see the full process starting from planning the interview to filming and actually editing the video footage. It was an experience that you can’t replicate in school.

Working on developing my own design and video pushed me outside of my comfort zone in the best way. I learned quickly that you don’t always feel ready before you start, and that’s okay — pushing through it anyway is often how you end up learning the most. It’s the kind of hands-on experience that helps you gain confidence during the process and makes you feel more prepared for whatever comes next.

As I wrap up my summer internship, I’m applying my design skills differently. I’ll be working on developing the design to promote a promotion on paperless billing and building the actual webpage myself in the content management system that Hawaiian Electric uses. This final project will be a great way to bring together everything I’ve learned this summer about marketing, design and communications into one polished product.

Everyone I’ve worked with has been so supportive and happy to help. I’m very grateful for this experience and I was able to learn so much from both my projects and hearing from other fellow summer interns. Applying for an internship may be nerve racking, but it’s a great opportunity to get your foot in the door. I highly recommend anyone who is curious and eager to learn to apply for next year’s summer internship program. You might just be surprised where it takes you.