Life Before College
When I was nearing the end of my high school journey, I had a very hard time adjusting to the reality that I would soon be moving on to the next major step in my life. College was something that had been beaten over my head by friends, family, teachers, advertising, and even entertainment media. College was always something sold to me as a fun experience and an exciting chance at new freedoms. Despite the positive press, college was something that presented a great deal of stress to me. I didn’t feel ready, and by the time graduation hit I still could not call myself prepared. 
College for me can be best summarized as four years of uncertainty. Going to Arizona State University was a choice I made for my comfort. I had no interest in leaving my home state, and I had several friends that were going as well so I would not be alone in this unfamiliar territory. The major I decided on going in was Computer Systems Engineering. I decided on this major simply because I liked computers and had a slightly above-average understanding of operating them. A semester into my new education path was all it took for me to realize this was not a good fit for me. And to make a long story short, this feeling of uncertainty never really went away. The next step in my college journey was to pursue a major change, but I didn’t know what that would be, so I went undeclared for my first two years.
Choosing a New Major
When I finally reached the point where a decision had to be made, I was presented with the option of the interdisciplinary track. ASU offers a degree path that is built upon the combination of two different concentrations. This is great for people who are unable to settle on a single area of study. The concentrations that I settled on were Business and Applied Business Data Analytics. I was advised to take these concentrations as I would be able to do work with computers in data analytics while also not overwhelming myself with the programming element that went over my head with computer systems engineering. The choice of going into the interdisciplinary track is what led me to the Nativa internship program.
As a requirement for all students in the interdisciplinary track at ASU, the capstone course IDS 401 must be completed. The goal of this course is to complete a project that ties what you have learned into a real-world experience. There are a few options for what this can be, but the most popular choice is to pursue an internship in your field of study. The search for an internship position continued the trend of difficulty that had outlined my college experience. After several dead-end applications and a handful of interviews, I found an opportunity with Eric and the Nativa internship program. The hours were a good fit for my student schedule, and the nature of the work fit with my area of study. With the details set in stone, I was on the final track to completing my degree program.
My Time in the Nativa Internship Program
My time at Nativa has provided an enormous learning experience for me. As I’ve described, I came into this internship confused and unsure of my future. College gives you a lot of new information and knowledge but to say that I felt sufficiently prepared for what comes next would be far from the truth. For this reason, I can see exactly why my degree program has this step as part of the graduation requirements. At Nativa, I got a glimpse into what kind of work I could potentially be doing in the real world. While it’s not a secret that there are all kinds of work to be done, sometimes it takes experiencing it firsthand to see how much is truly out there. While in the Nativa internship program, I witnessed Eric, Gaby, and Josh work with Tik Tok influencers for marketing promotions. For my own tasks, I aided in writing blogs and making social media posts. I also had the opportunity to work on two larger projects using O.Y.E. Business Intelligence software, which is a proprietary tool owned by Nativa. The first was a multicultural social listening analysis of famous pizza restaurants from the U.S. The second short study was a topic near to many people’s hearts, an online listening analysis of diverse consumers that discuss streaming options such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and more.
The internet is something that I use in my everyday life but doing this work with Nativa I saw new angles and potential for how it can be used as a tool for business. As I complete my final tasks and prepare to make my next step, I can do so with the newly found confidence that this experience has provided me.
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For more information on what it’s like to work as an intern with the Nativa internship program, check out other blogs posted by past interns!
