Evergreen Media has it all. Friendly faces, puppies, hiking, and an open work space; what’s not to love?
As a photography student in the BFA program at Black Hills State University, I am required to complete a 150-hour internship. I explained what I was looking for in an internship to my advisor, Steve Babbitt, and he introduced me to the possibility of Evergreen Media. I knew as a first semester junior it might have been a long shot, but I had to try.
In 144 days I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design along with six months of intern experience in hand. I was fortunate enough to work at Evergreen Media over the last two summers and collaborate with professionals and fellow interns. Last summer my focus was on the development of advertisements and the basics of design. Going into the internship I had only completed a handful of design courses, most of which were online. I was unfamiliar with the Adobe Suite, which is an essential for designers. I never had my work critiqued. And I had never worked with clients.
Rapid City and Minneapolis are sisters, not twins. With the utmost respect for my beloved hometown, life in the foothills is less fast-paced, more traditional, and takes a different approach to marketing and communications. With two years under my belt at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, I had been led to believe that the field of communication is elusive and favors the fit. That every day is spent among skyscrapers, elbow to elbow with Fortune 500 executives, thinking about campaigns to launch several years into the future. That a trendy office space offsets the demanding workload, and that I’d be lucky if the boss knew my name.
I applied for the Evergreen Media Summer Internship immediately after attending the dress rehearsal for Evergreen’s annual Raw Couture Fashion Show with my college’s Public Relations Club. The fashion show made such a positive impression on me, and I knew this was a company I wanted to work for. After applying, interviewing, and eventually being offered the internship, it hit me that I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. I didn’t know what to expect.
Every summer, Evergreen has a tradition of welcoming a college intern to the team. The program has been a great success, providing interns interested in careers involving sales, marketing, design, photography, writing and more with an opportunity to gain some valuable real-world experience and establish a professional network. For the first time ever, we decided to expand the program this year, quadrupling the number of interns. Each has a different career interest, and all are excited for the opportunity to spend the summer learning various tools and tricks of the trade. They aren’t full-time employees but are much more than minions, so we are calling them our EG Minis.
In order to graduate from the Graphic Design program at Black Hills State University, I am required to have an internship of 150 hours, and each hour needs to be logged, notes need to be taken, and examples of my work need to be provided. I was on the hunt for an internship when Rick had brought it to my attention Evergreen Media hires interns.
Although that was the first encounter I had with Rick the Owner and Publisher of Evergreen Media, I knew Rick the Dedicated Coach long before that. I grew up living in the world of softball, and spent many weekends watching and learning from Rick, as he coached my sister. Since my time here at Evergreen I have realized Rick the Dedicated Coach, and Rick the Owner and Publisher of Evergreen Media, aren’t that much different. He took a chance with me – just as he did with the many girls he has coached over the years.