When I began my college career at Texas Christian University, I was focused on getting good grades and landing great internships, specifically in the sports industry. I would pretty much work anywhere to gain experience, which may have overloaded my plate from time to time, but that is a story for another day.
I was working at the Allen Americans professional minor league hockey team when one of my bosses told me about a potential opportunity with BizCom. He said that the agency was looking for an intern with their digital team and that he recommended me for the role. I was so excited about the opportunity that I said yes without knowing anything about BizCom.
Soon after, I had a call with Scott White, the agency’s co-founder and CEO, and the head of the digital division. We talked through my schedule and what I would do, but there were some learning curves along the way. The truth is I was a journalism major with a sports focus. I had no idea about anything regarding public relations that wasn’t related to the sports industry or the surface level definition I had learned in school. I had experience with writing and social media, and I figured I would fake it until I made it using the skills I had. Little did I know that I would develop a passion for our clients, the industry and most importantly, the agency.
Throughout my time at TCU, I had nine internships, including BizCom. I have done various types of work, and I have learned a lot from each internship. BizCom is the company that taught me what it means for a company to value culture; one that makes everyone feel valued, even as an intern.
When I started at BizCom, we had less than 15 employees. On my first day, everyone sent me an individual welcome email. As my time grew at the agency, everyone celebrated my birthday, my acceptance into grad school, my graduation from undergrad and more. As I’ve seen BizCom grow with new employees and new clients, our culture and underlying values have remained the same. As a company grows, it does become difficult to make sure everyone is on the same page. Everyone at BizCom comes from a variety of backgrounds, but we do all truly have similar values and work ethics.
I felt comfortable bringing ideas to the table, trying new things, and talking to everyone. I not only felt comfortable doing these things, but I also felt heard and seen. When some of the team was in Fort Worth, they took me out to dinner. When I needed to take some time off to focus on finals, I got time off, and I was never made to feel bad about it. When I needed them, the team was there. And I know that they will be there as my biggest supporters even when I leave.
Being in a company with a great culture is relative and can mean something different to each person. A great company culture is one of those things that you may not realize you didn’t have until you do have it. I knew that I could be versatile and work in different environments, but I figured out that I didn’t have to. I could work where I truly felt valued.
From editing posts to daily quiz breaks to trying to figure out if skinny jeans are trendy right now, thank you to the client services team for making every day fun amidst the chaos. Thank you to Lauren Moore for supporting my ideas and always talking pop culture and reality TV with me. Thank you to Madison Woodruff for always taking the time to walk me through things. Thank you to Scott and Monica for always including me and making me feel welcome from the start. And last but not least, thank you to the whole BizCom team for making working from home not so lonely. I will be cheering you on from Nashville!
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