Intern Chronicles: Julia LeMunyon, Hello NAHB!

Girl standing in front of a blue backdrop with her hands in the air.

This is part 1 of a 3-part series featuring Julia LeMunyon, a rising junior from Longwood University. Julia will be working with the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) International Builders’ Show® marketing and sponsorship teams during NAHB’s 9-week internship program.

Having just finished my sophomore year of college at Longwood University in the small town of Farmville, Virginia, I have been very much looking forward to working in the hustle and bustle that is Washington, DC. I am lucky to be living just outside the city in McLean, Virginia, so for the first time ever I will be utilizing the metro – something that used to seem so foreign to me but after just one week I feel like a pro! At Longwood, I am a Business major with a concentration in marketing and am so excited to have the privilege to work in a department that parallels my interests.

Coming in, I had very little knowledge on what to expect aside from what I had learned during the interview process and through research on the association. Upon arriving at NAHB the first day, I felt immediately accepted and comfortable in this professional environment due to the beneficial orientation for all of the interns and the incredibly welcoming people I met from all different departments. I love that my fellow interns are also college students and feel as though we have already connected on a professional and personal level and look forward to the rest of the summer with them.

When I first heard about the opportunity to intern for NAHB through my cousin, Kristen, who works here and spoke so highly of it, I was fascinated. I did more of my own research on the marketing internship and found it really spoke to me and my passions as a business marketing major; I knew this was what I wanted to do with my summer. The hiring process was a learning experience in itself, as I have never held an internship position or anything even remotely like it before and the people I got to speak with made it enjoyable as well as educational. Upon starting this past Monday, I felt unsure of what my responsibilities would consist and definitely had some “first day jitters,” but all of this evaporated as soon as I walked through the door and got to meet the rest of the interns and Kiersten, who welcomed us to NAHB and eased any apprehensions we held by giving us an overview of our positions and acclimating us to the office.

I knew that this position would be the first time I would have this much personal responsibility as well as this level of professionalism, and I am so thankful for this experience to learn how to successfully work in a professional environment. I am excited to gain exposure to the world of marketing and see how campaigns are run and strategy is used to generate a positive outcome. I love meeting and connecting with new people and hope to get to know as many people as I can during my short time here at the office and improve my “people skills,” which I know are a big part of being in marketing! Even though I would already consider myself an avid user of social media, I am interested in seeing and learning about the use of these online platforms as agents for advertising and hope to be able to work on a project that includes it. Having to manage a busy schedule that includes tasks such as projects, meetings, and calls will help me improve my time management and organizational skills. Finally, I hope to get the most out of this wonderful internship by learning more about myself and what I want my future and career to be.

Continue following Julia’s internship journey with part 2 of this 3-part series, releasing in July.

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