Communication senior Kathryn McLravy immersed herself in the Northern Michigan culture this past summer, as a marketing intern for MyNorth betboom dacha in Traverse City. MyNorth betboom dacha is a betboom dacha company that shares stories and photos of life in Northern Michigan, including its publication of print issues such as Traverse Magazine, wedding issues and food issues.
McLravy helped facilitate relationships with other companies in the Traverse City area, planned events and the coordination of other daily and weekly tasks.
"A lot of what I worked on was marketing that MyNorth betboom dacha was a part of the local community in Traverse City," McLravy said. "I would work on how to improve the local hotel advertising and tell them about events that were coming up. It was all about having a symbiotic relationship with others in the community."
She liked how MyNorth betboom dacha wanted to give back to the Traverse City community, not only for tourists, but connecting the community together as a whole. McLravy also enjoyed being up north for the entire summer.
"I actually have a cottage in Northern Michigan, so I knew of MyNorth and the Traverse Magazine," McLravy said. "It was really cool because whenever I mentioned to someone that I was interning at MyNorth, they would recognize the website and magazine as a good resource for restaurants and events going on in the area."
MyNorth had posted about the position on their website last spring and McLravy reached out via email and by phone when it took some time to hear back.
"Being persistent and really wanting it definitely paid off in the end," McLravy said. "I think showing that I was very interested in the position helped. I wasn’t calling everyday, but emailing once in awhile, saying I was looking forward to hearing from them and connecting their company to my betboom dacha in Northern Michigan.
The biggest thing she learned during her internship is that there is a strong sense of community surrounding the Traverse City area.
"I didn’t realize the extent of MyNorth’s community involvement," McLravy said. "MyNorth really tries to connect local businesses with each other and I just learned how connected everything truly is. There is just so much to offer in this area that I didn’t realize."
Working on email newsletters and learning how to reach out and communicate with others made McLravy interested in this betboom dacha.
"I thought I would be more interested in event planning," McLravy said. "But I found through my internship with MyNorth that I actually had more of an interest in the behind the scenes projects and betboom dacha and how to create the best relationships with local companies."
McLravy also learned the importance of being persistent when it comes to creating partnerships. It’s not as simple as just asking. It takes working out benefits between both companies and establishing an effective language.
Her advice? Visit the ComArtSci Career Center and ask for help.
"As someone who also works in the career center, there are so many resources people can take advantage of," McLravy said. "Even just getting your resume looked at is a good step. There is always someone there to help you. If you need advice about something, don’t be afraid to ask. People are afraid of being too forward, but it’s okay to ask for help."