As I am getting ready to wrap up week two as a LG Seeds intern, all I can say is “wow.” It’s a been a whirlwind of projects, videos, traveling, meeting the other interns and preparing for a successful summer. However, through it all, there have been two big takeaways:

Your experience is what you make it.

As with everything you do, you take out of it what you put into it. When Andy Montgomery, LG Seeds Brand Manager, spoke to us on Tuesday morning during the Intern Launch Meeting, he shared that the staff at LG Seeds had designed the Sales, Agronomy and Marketing internships to be a “design-it-yourself” experience for students, allowing them to discover what they do and don’t like.

Certainly, this has proven to be true as we have worked diligently at setting SMART goals and determining a schedule for the summer. The LG Seeds team is here to help us have a successful summer and offering opportunities to make sure that we participate in everything we want. It’s just like if we were at an amusement park (figuratively, not literally) – they are making sure we see all the sights and ride all the rides.

Obviously, things look a little different for me in the Marketing Department as they might in the Sales & Agronomy Department. Video production and editing, social media content creation, photography, as well as blog writing and editing, are all on the list with so many more items. STAR Partner visits, ride-alongs with our sales teams, job shadowing with our graphic designer and digital media strategist are several other items on the agenda.

It takes a team to create lasting value.

Watching the LG Seeds Marketing Team has been a joy. The way that they work together and include everyone in what is going on is so neat to observe. Whether in a Marketing Team call or just conversing in a small group about what needs to happen in the upcoming weeks, the principle of teamwork remains in the room.

As I think about meeting with the other interns this week during training, the aspect of teamwork continues to ring true. Although we are spread out all over the United States, I have a good feeling that we will be relying on one another to seek advice, create social media content and visit those individuals who make the LG Seeds world turn.

Earlier this week, I had an opportunity to sit in on a Marketing Team call about the Launch and Countdown meetings that were planned to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota but with COVID-19, plans may have to change. The way the Development and Implementation Teams work together is a nearly seamless conversation and process. Working toward the common end goal of making sure they have two successful conferences and keeping their “ducks in a line” in preparation will serve to be key in the success of their events.

These experiences are moments that will help define where we see ourselves in the next two, five and 10 years. It is a growth process that takes teamwork, dedication and determination to complete. I am so thrilled to be on board this summer and look forward to being part of the Marketing Team, working with my fellow interns to come to the common goal of creating a summer full of learning opportunities.

Stay tuned for weekly updates to follow me around the corn belt and see what I’m learning this summer!