Information science student learns new skills during internship

Denali Wood, a junior studying information science, learned the ins and outs of digital marketing strategies during his summer internship. 

Wood worked for the City of Detroit’s government as a digital marketing and media intern. His position entailed studying user interaction, judging what viewers positively responded to and using that data to create better, more engaging content in the future. 

“[It was] mainly looking at the social media posts, seeing what kind of traction they received and seeing what people liked and didn’t like,” Wood said.

Along the way, he learned to implement certain tactics to improve content.

“It was mostly about making the videos shorter to better grab the viewer’s attention,” he said.  

Additionally, Wood picked up both technical and soft skills throughout his summer internship, not to mention a few lessons about the information sciences field. 

“I gained Microsoft Office skills and more data analysis skills,” he said. “Communication was something I learned. Also, editing and analyzing things takes much longer than I thought it would.” 

Wood encourages students looking to score positions—both in his career field and otherwise—to become well-rounded professionals with an array of skills. 

“Try to take classes that build up your skills,” he said. “A lot of internships want people that already have them; they’ll be more likely to take you in if you have those important skills.”  

The one aspect he would alter about his experience, however, is opting for a hybrid internship rather than a remote one.  

“What I liked about it was that everyone there was nice,” he said. "But if I could change it, I would make it hybrid because I like a more hands-on experience. I feel like it’s better to do things in person, and it’s easier to communicate and pay attention.”  

As for his near future, Wood will graduate in about a year. But before that, he plans to pursue one or two more internships.  

His dream career involves information sciences but with an altruistic twist.  

“I was thinking something in health informatics or user experience research,” he said. “I’d get to help people in both of those.”

Wood also shared the most important thing he’s learned from his internship. “It showed me what I could expect going forward.”

By Stella Govitz