Mandy Weaver – Marketing & Journalism Internship

*In October, Mandy’s first Garden Spot Village blog post was published!  You can read it here.

My name is Mandy Weaver, and during my senior year in high school, I decided that I wanted to intern at Garden Spot Village for their marketing department. My mentors are Scott Miller, Chief Executive for the marketing department, and Juanita Fox, Storyteller, and Editor. I help promote and write about the Garden Spot Experience and how different it is from your average retirement community.

Around 10:35 is when I arrive at GSV. On Monday’s I meet with Juanita and Scott, and the other members of the marketing department for a social media meeting. In these meetings, we discuss the upcoming events we can promote each day of the week, as well as find 3-4 bigger events that we can include and write about in the Friday email. This will take up my Monday and most of my Tuesday. Other things throughout the week that I may get are proofreading and editing jobs. They have a ninety-page magazine, brochures, a monthly garden variety and sometimes job ads that all need to be error-free before they get sent to the printer. Groups will come in and we give tours to them. They also have me write blog stories for their website.

Right now, I am working on a 12 series highlight for the different clubs and activities that Garden Spot Village has to offer. The basic process is I meet with the head of the club, have them explain and tell why they are involved, how long, why etc. and then I write a blog that highlights how Garden Spot Village is unique and has abundant ways to live with purpose in the community. I then sent it to Juanita and Scott. If they both approve it is saved and done. The series will start in 2019 and come out monthly in the Garden Variety. I may not finish all twelve by the time my internship is up, but whatever isn’t finished by me will be resumed by my replacement, Molly Brennan, for the spring semester. One of my biggest successes so far was writing a story about Personal Care and giving it a new light shown on it. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is having an audience that is 50+ years older than me. It has stretched me and has taught me a different way to write.

My future goal in life is to be able to write and edit plays and musicals. I plan to major in English and minor in theatre. All the stories I write are based on real people and real events. And I believe in order to have a script of characters be real and believable, you have to base them off of real events, stories, and people. You also must develop different styles of writing and storytelling. My internship also helps me interact and communicate with people. The more times you interview someone and ask them questions, the more natural and relaxed you get. Overall the internship at Garden Spot Village had helped me tremendously and I am glad I decided to intern.