My name is Ana Chalaca, and I am a student at Arizona State University pursuing a degree in Marketing with a concentration in Digital and Integrated Marketing Communications and a minor in Psychology. As a first-generation Mexican American, culture has always been a huge part of my life, but I never expected it to become such an important part of my career too.
Marketing actually was not my original plan. I started college wanting to pursue psychology and was pretty hesitant when I first considered switching paths. For a while, I wondered if I had made the right decision. My experience at Nativa Multicultural Communications gave me a much clearer answer. It reinforced how much I enjoy marketing while showing me just how many directions I can take it. 
When I started looking for internships, I was honestly nervous that I would not find one or that the one I found would not feel right for me. Then I interviewed with Nativa, got the internship, and things started to fall into place. From the beginning, I jumped right into hands-on work, and every day was always different. I could be researching regional Spanish and cultural differences, then supporting influencer searches for Schwarzkopf and Vitalant or creating content. I even had opportunities I never expected, like interviewing for a Desert Financial Credit Union commercial that later aired and writing blogs about trends happening in real time. Getting exposure to research, social media, influencer marketing, and client work gave me a real look at what goes on behind the scenes at an agency.
Being a first-generation Mexican American made Nativa’s focus on multicultural marketing especially personal to me. I love knowing that our work can help major organizations better understand and connect with the communities they are trying to reach. I also learned that multicultural marketing goes far beyond translating a message. Culture influences how people communicate, what they connect with, and ultimately how a message is received. Being able to bring some of my own perspective into that work made it even more meaningful.
The people are also a huge part of what made my experience so special. Eric Diaz and Gabriela Erikson trusted me with meaningful work, answered my questions, and gave me the space to learn by actually doing. I am incredibly grateful for everyone I worked alongside and for all the people who took the time to teach me and include me in order to help me grow. Being surrounded by creative and driven people made the experience that much more exciting. 
I came into Nativa still wondering whether marketing was the right path for me, and I am leaving wanting to explore as much of it as I can. From social media and influencer marketing to research, strategy, content, and advertising, there is still so much I want to experience. Nativa gave me my first real look at agency life, helped me become more confident in myself, and showed me that I chose the right path. I am incredibly grateful for the experience and everything I will take with me into whatever comes next.
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!
