My experience with work this past year has been incredibly rewarding on so many different levels.

I currently serve as a Communication Specialist at the University of Texas’ Center for Teaching and Learning, and I’m interning as a Digital Content and Marketing Intern at Hai Hospitality, the team behind acclaimed restaurants like Uchi, Uchiko, Uchibā, and Loro. Both roles have given me the chance to grow creatively and professionally in ways I never expected.

At the Center for Teaching and Learning, I’ve designed and delivered hundreds of visual assets for campus-wide events, and I am continuing to lead a major promotional video project. I’ve also helped ensure operational excellence through streamlined workflows, developed brand-aligned creative content in accordance with UT standards, and led social media and marketing strategies — boosting engagement by over 1500%.

At Hai Hospitality, I’ve produced and edited between five and 15 digital ads and social videos each week, contributed creative content ideas during brainstorms and pitch sessions and maintained a consistent brand voice across all digital platforms. One of the projects I’m most excited about is supporting the production and marketing rollout for our upcoming initiative: Fish School.

The best advice I can offer is simple: put yourself out there. I applied to hundreds of jobs and internships starting as early as October, and I kept pushing through the process with consistency and drive — despite any setbacks that arose. That persistence opened doors I never imagined, like landing a conversation with Patty Lum, Production Director at Walt Disney Studios, who I’m now staying in contact with for future opportunities.

None of this would have happened if I hadn’t been willing to reach out to professionals on LinkedIn, follow up, and have real conversations with peers, professors, and mentors. So if there’s one message I’d share, it’s this: it doesn’t hurt to ask. It doesn’t hurt to apply. It doesn’t hurt to try. Lead with effort, authenticity, and humility — and something will come of it.