From busser to youth development professional, peer tutor to resident assistant and now library assistant and communications intern, it is safe to say I have worn many workforce-related hats in my 20 years of life.
I’ll admit, some hats fit reasonably well, molding to my head as time passed by, while others tended to fall sideways now and then despite my efforts. But, on the first day of my sixth job, the abstract hat I donned upon walking into Cookson Communications felt refreshingly snug.
My Background
Before I dive in, it is probably best that I attempt to paint a small picture of myself with words. After all, I am an English major with a concentration in professional writing, so this kind of thing is right up my alley. While I have kept life interesting as an employee by moving around different fields, my origins are admittedly mundane. I was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, and my home-base has been in Dracut, Massachusetts, ever since. Extended breaks from the quiet hum of Dracut occur whenever I move back to Fitchburg State University, where the city is working to push through cement and blossom anyhow. My third home, which I anticipate returning to lies across the pond in London, England. This is where I studied international education last fall and learned that home truly is wherever your heart feels the most secure.
While one day I hope to be spending a holiday weekend off in Manchester, U.K., for now, I am more than content in getting acclimated with Manchester, NH. and all that this city has to offer.
Starting at Cookson
My Cookson journey officially began the moment I opened the door that led to a stairwell ahead. The visuals that are inside the agency remain unseen until the opening of yet another door – one that ends a sea of bright blue accent walls. Some claim that there is a science behind colors; that blue represents serenity and calmness just as much as it does productivity and stability. As a morning meeting with Dia turned to a staff meeting, to a conference call, to lunch to research on PR and marketing strategies, I saw blue in a whole new way.
Only eight hours into my first day, I could already attest that the talented individuals who make up the Cookson team manage to balance the multifaceted agency life in such a way that it almost looks effortless. The hush that lingers about the office is representative of people hard at work, or dare I say, productive yet calm and collected. If the standout-shade of blue that covers the walls of the entrance could be renamed, I would petition for it to be Cookson.
Yes, I’ll be sure to get in touch with Sherwin-Williams soon.
If told a year ago that I would have the opportunity to be even a small portion of the blend that makes up a company like Cookson Communications, I am not sure if I would have believed it. After all, I am an English major with a minor in history. My current academic curriculum consists of endeavors like writing journalistic work, learning the art of the short story and finding out why Queen Isabella sponsored Columbus.
Why intern at a communications agency?
Well, I have been grappling with forming a solid explanation myself. I have tested the waters in many forms of professional writing during my three years at Fitchburg State University. Over time, I have figured out what kind of work I most enjoy doing. Creative non-fiction writing has come out on top, and producing effective messages that are both strategic and artistic can be applied through this concentration.
Over my college career, I have also noticed my strength in adapting to various jobs and projects. Working for and collaborating alongside people from all walks of life have been some of my favorite elements and strong-suits. The art of communication is so much about touching the appropriate people with the appropriate message. The place I now spend my Mondays and Tuesdays uses this art first to understand one’s story, an aspect that is conveniently familiar to me. Figuring out how to convey these stories in a way that reaches audiences in the most efficient way possible, though, is an element I am eager to learn how to execute.
If I can be even one dash of an ingredient that makes up the Cookson color concoction I so already admire by the end of August, I will be one lucky gal. But for now, a client list awaits.
