As a digital media intern, I focused on continuing and improving DSA’s external communications. I managed different portions of our website, such as weekly event spotlights, monthly blogs, and business directories. Those responsibilities pushed my creativity and helped me rediscover my love for writing. I did backend research and interviews to ensure that the information featuring businesses and organizations was accurate and resonated with owners’ visions. Being able to translate the shared conversations I had with community members into the blogs I wrote always filled me with joy as I pressed “publish,” allowing the world to see what Stockton has to offer.  

Along with the DSA website, I had the greatest opportunity to tackle social media management and content creation. During the five months I’ve been interning, I was able to produce over 100 videos and still posts for all five of our social media channels. I became well versed in software and platforms like SKED Social, Premiere Pro, and Word Press – continuing campaigns like Intern Adventures, Property Mondays, and so much more. I also helped launch our very own Tik Tok page, reaching over 1,000 organic followers in under 3 months. Recording videos has been a hobby of mine since adolescence, so being able to bring that into the work I do makes my time at DSA so much more exciting and memorable. 

Aside from the hard skills I picked up, DSA introduced me to a new side of Stockton I’ve never seen. Despite being raised in this city, Downtown Stockton was a foreign place to me. It always served as a passing landmark when heading south on the Interstate 5 Highway, but now I see downtown for what it truly is – a home and a community of passionate families, business owners, and organizers looking to build and expand the city. I had the wonderful opportunity of conducting in-person outreach, meeting community members, and bringing foot traffic downtown. From every wave of hello and every conversation exchanged, I learned that the love and compassion people have for Stockton is much more than the reputation and judgements people are so quick to label the city with.