My name is Ariadne Bencomo and I began my career journey as a marketing intern working with Nativa and O.Y.E. Intelligence during Spring 2021. It was my last semester attending Arizona State University and up to that point, I did not have a lot of exposure to marketing other than what I had learned in my classes as a business major at the W.P. Carey School of Business. I spent my first two years of college undecided on my major and it was not until I conducted extensive research and personality tests that I concluded that marketing was the path for me. Many of my peers were engaging in clubs, organizations, internships, and more but I was so focused on schoolwork and managing my job that I did not take the time to learn about what it was like to be in an established business setting. I soon realized that I would have to embark on my career and I was still unsure of what that would even look like. That was when I found Nativa!
Discovering Nativa
I felt like I was late to the game getting an internship so close to graduation. To make matters worse I thought covid-19 would make the search process more difficult and I did not want to rush into anything that might sour this experience to grow and get an inside perspective into my future career. When searching through all the listings I came across Nativa and after a quick online search, I found that the company’s personality translated very well which really resonated with me. I applied and soon after Eric Diaz, co-founder of both Nativa and O.Y.E. reached out and set up an interview. During this exchange, I loved obtaining insights into the company and the multicultural aspects of the business. I relished the opportunity to employ my bilingual capabilities as a Spanish-speaking Hispanic to cater to my own demographic and provide my input.
The Nativa Experience
I can undoubtedly say my experience as a Nativa marketing intern will be one to remember. I formed strong bonds with the other interns and created lasting memories such as burning my jalapeno poppers for the company picnic, going out for lunch with everyone after our shifts, and socializing during our afternoon meals in the office. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to build my expertise in a wide variety of areas while working for an agency that saw me as an individual and valued me as more than an employee. My perception of interns has always been that they are the people who do a lot of the busywork, but Nativa allowed me to obtain hands-on experience in the field. I was given creative freedom when it came to content creation and which subjects I wanted to explore when writing O.Y.E. short studies and managing social media platforms which was very liberating, but also required intent and dedication. My ambivalence in regards to what I wanted to do in the future subsided after this internship and I was eager to accept a more situated position as a Marketing Analyst with the agency. Often, recent graduates are looking to get into the job market right away without much thought into whether the places they are applying for are the right fit for them. I, fortunately, do not have those concerns.
Final Thoughts on Ari’s Career Journey as a Marketing Intern
Upon reflection, I am grateful that even during a time of great hardship with the unexpected pandemic impacting the lives of individuals everywhere, I was still able to participate in an internship prior to graduation. I grew professionally under the mentorship of Eric, who is a very experienced entrepreneur, and expanded my skillsets in a wide array of areas while operating in a real business setting. I am looking forward to what is ahead working as a Marketing Analyst with Nativa and creating more memories with everyone in the office.
For more information about what it’s like to work with Nativa and check out more blogs made by past Nativa interns!
