In summer 2021, we welcomed two interns, Cristian and True to our Marketing and Partner teams. As always, the summer flew by, but we are excited that both will be extending their time and roles at AvePoint! Read on to learn more about their internship takeaways and experiences this past summer.
Cristian Rodriguez
Role: Social Media Summer Intern, continuing with AvePoint this fall
School, Major & Graduation date: Villanova University, Public Relations & Advertising, graduating May 2022
Tell me about your day-to-day life as an intern.
As a Social Media Intern, I work with our Marketing team to post industry and company content to our Instagram, LinkedIn, and social media outlets. One of the coolest projects I worked on this summer was during our IPO (initial public offering) process. I shared videos and quotes from interviews that our CEO, TJ had with Fox Business and Yahoo! Finance and I collaborated with our PR Manager on content to share out on our social media platforms.
Favorite memory of the summer?
Our IPO event in Jersey City. I celebrated the company’s IPO with many AvePoint team members in Times Square. It was awesome to meet so many people I’d already been working with (remotely) on this historic day. The spectacle of the event, seeing the Marketing and Design team’s graphics being flashed across the big screens in Times Square, and all the excitement was so memorable!
Advice for future interns?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone at AvePoint is willing to share their knowledge. If you are afraid of making mistakes, you won’t get the full learning experience.
What keeps you busy outside of school and work?
I’m a singer, and this summer I competed in a vocal competition in the Philly area. It was great to be onstage again! I’m also currently the lead in a local production of Rent, so I’m busy with rehearsals for the show.
True Sandoval
Role: Partner Experience Intern, transitioning full-time to a Marketing Analyst
School, Major & Graduation date: Howard University, Computer Science, 2021 Graduate
What has your day-to-day looked like in your internship?
During my internship, I worked on projects that involved a variety of teams. Because of this, my day-to-day often involved collaborating, communicating, and most importantly, listening. A typical day included check-ins with my manager, listening into partner calls, and networking through virtual coffee chats. Outside of meetings, I spent time organizing the information I was exposed to and implemented solutions to pain points I uncovered.
What did you learn in school that will help you in future roles?
Studying Computer Science gave me a lot of technical knowledge, but also taught me how to think critically and problem solve. Even though my internship wasn’t software development specific, I could still apply the skills gained from my degree to my role at AvePoint.
Advice for future interns?
- Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification.
- Be mindful of others’ time zones when communicating with them.
- Be sure you are giving others enough time to review your work.
Favorite project you worked on?
Through my Partner Experience internship, I helped put together a FAQ page within our partner portal. I collected internal employees’ input to gauge their knowledge of our partner program and I sat in on 30+ hours of partner calls to understand how we interact with our partners. My work helped support our portal launch in July 2021.
Interests outside of work and school?
I’m a part of an early-stage start-up team that’s working on a professional development platform for underrepresented students. Being in the entrepreneurial space is very interesting, and we’re starting within the computer science field due to the diversity gap within the workplace.
What full time role are you taking on at AvePoint?
What started as a summer internship to earn extra cash turned into discovering a company that feels like family. I look forward to my workdays and feel more inspired and ambitious each day. The culture has inspired my day-to-day, and I feel fortunate to have found a full-time opportunity within our Marketing team. I learned about this full-time opportunity through a connection I made within an employee resource group here, BAE (Black AvePoint Excellence). My new role marries two of my passions: data analysis and business innovation, and I’m thrilled to continue my journey at AvePoint!
We look forward to seeing Cristian and True continue on in their AvePoint experiences. If you’re interested in learning more about our open positions, please check out our AvePoint Careers page today!
