My Nativa Experience
Hi, I’m Maria Trejo, a third-year Digital Marketing student at Arizona State University. As a Latina and bilingual individual, I bring a unique perspective shaped by my multicultural experiences. I understand the challenges of being misunderstood and am passionate about creating campaigns that resonate with diverse audiences. My goal is to help companies craft meaningful messages that connect with everyone. 
My journey began with excitement and anticipation as I navigated a sea of applications and interviews. When an email from Nativa Multicultural Agency arrived, it marked the beginning of something special. Despite my lack of experience, Eric Diaz from Nativa welcomed me aboard. I’m proud that Nativa allowed me to start my career with my first internship.
Tasks
- Company: I worked on clutch adding the portfolios from our work, writing essays for grants, etc.
- Marketing Research: I assisted the team in researching daiquiris and Diplomático for Jack Daniel’s, focusing particularly on what Latinos were saying in Spanish.
- Blog Writing: I authored a blog on how companies can succeed in multicultural marketing.
- Nativa’s Metrics: I updated and analyzed weekly business development leads to track Nativa’s performance.
- Email Marketing: My tasks included gathering school contacts and sending emails.
- Social Media Marketing: I managed the accounts for Nativa and RockinPost, achieving 3,146 views and 40 likes on TikTok.
What Did I Learn?
When we started the Mas Vida Scholarship project for the Red Cross, I faced many unexpected tasks. Initially, everyone warned me that the weeks would be monotonous and filled with endless emails. Nevertheless, the experience turned out to be quite fascinating.
We began by identifying contacts from various schools and sending out the initial batch of emails, which extended through several rounds. Consequently, I quickly learned the importance of meticulously tracking our email communications.
Furthermore, we expanded our outreach through social media and engaged with clubs and sororities. Despite the initial challenge of finding the right contacts, we successfully met our applicant goal just before the deadline.
Increasing engagement on TikTok and Instagram was both enjoyable and educational. Thanks to Gabi, I learned how crucial it is to keep content within the margins and maintain a consistent pattern for a clean, professional look. Additionally, Eryn taught me valuable lessons about cybersecurity. Interestingly, just a day before her presentation, I nearly got scammed! As a result, I am now much more cautious about what I click on in unfamiliar emails.
Conclusion
Throughout my time at Nativa, the funny moments helped balance out the stress. The team made an effort to lighten the mood with lunches and Friday movie nights—something that’s important when transitioning into the professional world. The growth and learning I experienced there were not just professionally enriching but personally meaningful as well.
