Originally published October 4, 2016
By Sebastian Becerra
Senior, Marketing
This summer I had the good fortune to serve as an intern at The Work Crowd (TWC), a startup based in what I consider the greatest city in the world: London, England.
Photo courtesy of Sebastian Becerra
TWC uses its platform to connect professional freelance public relations specialists to projects that suit them. We differentiated ourselves in that we only accepted high-quality freelance PR specialists, of which there was no shortage in London.
My job from the start of June to the end of July was to manage our social media channels and aspects of our digital marketing, along with some research projects and administrative tasks. For example, I grew our Instagram account until we were able to recruit clients and candidates through it. I also was tasked to lead an account recovery campaign. That led many of our early candidates to re-sign for the platform. I also was asked to research whether TWC could play a role in the upcoming trade negotiations between the U.S. and Great Britain because of the Brexit decision.
Working in England was enlightening in many ways. My office was on The Strand, a well-known street in the heart of London a few miles from Big Ben, the iconic clock tower on the north end of the Houses of Parliament. While we spoke the same language, I learned a lot about British culture and mannerisms from my co-workers. I was pleasantly surprised to witness that old-fashioned British politeness that I had heard about and seen on TV. It was a pleasure to deal with everyone from my peers to the people on the streets.
In retrospect, I am very happy and proud of myself for having done this. My internship was a great opportunity. I sincerely believe that every UTEP student should participate in an internship such as this because it is absolutely mind opening. It pushed me to do my best.
Being bicultural was a big help, too. It helped me adapt to my new surroundings, which allowed me to hit the ground running at TWC. The experience has made me more confident. I think my personal and academic backgrounds have given me a strong foundation to overcome any obstacle.
Living in London is something that I already miss, and I would definitely consider moving back if I got the chance.