Throughout the summer, Skandalaris Center Summer Internship Program participants will be writing guest blog posts about their internship experience. Following is one such post.
Interning at a For-Profit Socially Driven Startup
By Jessica Zodicoff (LA ’21)
My name is Jessica Zodicoff, and I’m a rising junior at Washington University in St. Louis studying International Area Studies, Writing, and Marketing. Through the Skandalaris Internship Program, I am working for Generation Mindful this summer. Generation Mindful creates tools and toys that nurture emotional intelligence by connecting the generations playfully. It aims to create a world where all people feel powerful, safe, and connected.
After attending a social entrepreneurship program at Babson University during a summer in high school, I began to view businesses as means to create societal change, in a way that can be more efficient and organic than government. For this reason, I have always aspired to work for companies with for-profit social missions. Generation Mindful fit this perfectly, and with a female founder, I knew it was the perfect match for me.
One of the most interesting, longstanding projects that I’m working on this summer is launching a GENM product in a second language. It’s the company’s first time selling something in a language other than English, and I’m responsible for the international marketing campaign. I found the demographic research to be especially interesting. Since we are selling tools that are grounded in mindfulness, I researched how Latin American customers relate to mindfulness and how they prefer to engage with ecommerce companies through marketing. I found considerable differences between the groups, and I’ve used these findings to inform the marketing strategy. This process has made me realize my affinity for International Marketing, and it’s made me consider it as a future career path.
Another longstanding project that I’m working on is redesigning the GENM blog and creating a sustainable contributing writers’ program. I am involved in every step of the redesign, including hiring a web developer. Formal companies have HR teams handling hiring, but a startup is a part of every step of a project. It’s been an honor knowing that my boss trusts me to handle this responsibility. Building the writers’ program has further emphasized the need startups have for putting sustainable systems in place. My boss, the fabulous CEO Suzanne Tucker, was previously writing all of the blog posts. The content resonated well, but it kept her, time-wise, from pursuing other opportunities for the business. Founders of startups are in the trenches every day, and I think it’s a sign of growth to be building processes. I’m excited to be helping GENM reach this new level, and it’s enabled me to put on my editor hat from my writing experience.
My summer as a Skandalaris Intern has been filled with educational opportunities, unique challenges, and intelligent, wonderful people who I’ve had the privilege to learn and work from.