Writing Samples
Below are some of my social media writing samples. During my time working as a marketing intern for the Office of Internship and Career Development, I was able to create new content series for the website and social media (Instagram & LinkedIn), called "#AlumSpotlight" and "#InternSpotlight.”
Daka Hermon '95
This week's alumna is Daka Hermon '95!
At Agnes Scott, Daka majored in English Literature-Creative Writing. By her junior year, she discovered her interest in working in a creative field. During her senior year, Daka met someone through an ASC internship that introduced her to a producer at Nickelodeon.
She was offered an internship, then later a job as a production assistant. As she moved into different roles at the company, she had the opportunity to work in child programming and write scripts. Her jobs on various children’s shows underscored her love for writing for children, which has now led her to author children's books. Her debut novel, a middle-school horror called Hide & Seeker, will be published by Scholastic Press this fall and has already received positive reviews as a “nail-biter” by Kirkus Reviews. In addition to working as a children’s book author, she currently works for a major children’s entertainment company.
Throughout her journey in the media industry, Daka has been unsure of her next steps, but by trying new things and accepting setbacks, she has found a career that makes her happy. Her advice to Scotties? 1) Believe in yourself even when others don't. 2) Press forward, no matter what. It only takes one ‘yes!’
Vironka Davis '10
This week’s alumna is Dr. Vironka Davis '10.
During her time at Agnes Scott, Vironka majored in English Literature and was the Co-President of Witkaze. She always wanted to be a physician, however she was unprepared for the time demanded by her pre-med classes. With the guidance of the Office of Academic Advising, she developed a plan that would allow her to stay on track of becoming a physician.
After graduation, she worked in a medical office during the day, while completing pre-med classes at the University of Maryland at night. She then went to Tulane University for a Masters in Genetics. Her resiliency and determination only grew stronger as she went from initially being unsuccessful in obtaining admissions into medical school, to eventually receiving multiple offers with scholarships. She then decided to go to Howard University Medical School, she specialized in becoming a surgeon and recently graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She will be starting residency at Tulane in July.
Dr. Davis attributes failure early on in her journey to being one of the primary catalysts for her later successes. Her advice to Scotties? 1) View failure as an “opportunity”, instead of defeat. 2) Never underestimate the power of your presence
Maris McEdward '05
During her time at Agnes Scott, Maris majored in French and History. As a senior, she wanted to get a master's in Library Science, but she had an epiphany during GRE prep: she wasn’t ready to lock in a career path. Instead, post-grad, she decided to follow her love of traveling, taking a job on a whim as an English Editor at a university in Hong Kong.
For the next 4 years, she traveled the world, working various jobs. In 2009, Maris decided to get her MBA and work in marketing. When she graduated from business school, America was in an economic recession and many industries weren’t hiring. Maris realized that tech was growing, so she moved to Seattle and got a marketing job at a start-up company.
She now works at Tableau Software as a Senior Manager for Conference Content, managing content strategy for Tableau Conference, which has 20,000+ attendees and 700+ sessions. Her advice to Scotties? 1) You will be more successful by not playing it safe, taking risks and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, even if you’re not sure you’re going to succeed. 2) Always negotiate your salary even if it’s your first job. You have to be your own advocate. No else is going to do it for you.
Bintou Tunkara ‘23
Lisette Soto '20
Lisette Soto is a senior majoring in psychology. When she first arrived at Agnes Scott, she thought she wanted to be a veterinarian until interning at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. She realized that she wanted to focus less on medical care for animals and more on the psychology of animals. During her senior year, she looked for an internship to complete for course credit, a requirement of her major.
Before applying, she took the senior capstone class for psychology. This class, along with meeting with Tomeka Stephens, our office’s internship coach, allowed her to be prepared to apply for internships in Atlanta. While she was offered a couple of internships, she decided to accept a research internship with Zoo Atlanta since her major advisor, Dr. Purdue, conducts research there. Through interning with the Atlanta Zoo, Lisette has learned that being adaptable is key. In particular, she has enjoyed exploring the zoo and speaking to zookeepers when some animals do not want to work with her, which has become one of her favorite parts of her internship.
Lisette never thought she would work at a zoo, but without this experience, she would never have known it was the perfect place for her. Her advice to Scotties who want to intern: Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with the internship you’re selecting.
Bintou Tunkara is a sophomore majoring in International Relations. During her first year, she visited the Habitat for Humanity International Headquarters in Atlanta to visit a friend who was interning there and loved the atmosphere. As a result, when she was looking for an internship with a non-profit and saw an internship posting on LinkedIn for a Global Foundations Operations and Institutions Research Intern with Habitat for Humanity, she knew she wanted to apply. She used our office’s resume and cover letter templates for her application and met with our career coaches before her interview.
Bintou was soon offered the internship and currently works with the global team to scan the global funding environment through developing research and strategies for funding information from institutions like the World Bank. Her favorite parts about her internship are being able to work for a company that is passionate about their work and being able to connect all of her career interests in one place.
Bintou’s experience has shown her that she wants to work in social impact within a corporation. Her advice to Scotties who are applying for internships: Don't let imposter syndrome stop you from applying to an internship!
