Jake Abell, July 25

This past weekend, AWF hosted a 50th Annual Celebration at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. I didn't attend, but I had a big hand in preparing for it. Given all the levels in which I participated, the zoo event represents the most impact I've been able to have here as an intern. I was responsible for the social media push leading up to the weekend which involved reaching out to a variety of common interest groups in the Chicago area (where the zoo is located). I also drafted a press release, media advisory, and media listing for the event which was an awesome crash course in journalism. I also hand packed about 700 lanyards with various animal fact cards and an AWF info card, both of which I helped write. In the end, the different ways in which I helped prepare the event called upon and sharpened my skills in journalism, social media, and composition. I even got a brief exposure to graphic design when I worked with a colleague here on designing the animal fact cards. In sum, preparing for this event was a great exercise in synthesizing and developing skills in all aspects of media and marketing. It was a great way to wrap up the internship experience which is in it's last week.