Collegian Member Profile: Gwen Daniels
By Ashley Todd
This past summer Gwen Daniels, a senior collegian Griffiths member from Colliersville, Tenn., achieved something that most of us college students hope to do—she landed a fantastic internship. Gwen worked at Ford Motor Company as the global communications intern in Detroit. Creating a social media program and managing Ford’s Facebook conversations, she worked to promote Ford’s dedication to its products, the world and its role as a business, while also working to stimulate interaction with consumers.
Gwen enjoyed the collaborative environment at Ford, where it was a team effort by everyone from the vice president of communications to the intern in sharing ideas and coming up with innovative ways for the company to expand its outreach in social media. She also enjoyed being able to explore the city of Detroit with her fellow interns.
She said she applied for the Ford internship on a whim after she had heard about it from an advisor in the Missouri School of Journalism. Although the auto industry wasn’t exactly her area of expertise, she applied for it anyway so she could be sure she took advantage of every opportunity that came her way. Ultimately, Gwen said she applied for every paid internship she saw with “communications” somewhere in the description—she applied for every fifty.
Gwen’s advice to other college students looking to score an internship is to keep your options open. Even though she imagined herself interning in an advertising agency in New York, she said it is important not to dismiss anything, and to apply to every opportunity that comes your way. Gwen said she has learned not to shy away from other women in the business—that they are first and foremost people, who can be valuable resources in the stories they share and the advice they give. She also appreciated the support and encouragement given to her by her someone who had once been in her shoes before—her Griffiths mentor, Denise Lehmer.
Gwen is studying strategic communication, economics and music at MU. She is involved in MOJO Ad, MU’s student-staffed professional advertising agency; Relay For Life as an executive member and with Big Brothers Big Sisters as a mentor.