When I started the exhausting hunt of looking for internships, I had no idea that I would end up at a pharma marketing company. My background is not rooted in science. When taking courses at my college, I would much rather choose a class focusing on 1800s literature than a biology lab. Still, now that I’m here, I must say that I am eternally grateful for this experience.

Like most of my Gen Z counterparts, I’ve grown up surrounded by digital, print, and television ads for different pharmaceuticals, but I never put much thought into how they were created. Now that I’m part of the Healio Strategic Solutions (HSS) team, my entire perspective has changed. I’ve had the opportunity to see the immense effort and attention to detail that goes into planning and designing every aspect of marketing materials. HSS truly cares about making sure they put out the best products. Working in this environment has made me a better marketer and writer.

Over the course of this internship, I have learned the importance of conducting research. As I’ve mentioned, science is not my forte, so I’ve had to read a lot of journals, news sites, and blogs. This has helped me expand my knowledge and taught me that asking questions is perfectly okay. I spent an embarrassing amount of time not knowing what ‘HCP’ meant. Had I just asked someone, I would have been a lot less confused!

With my junior year quickly approaching the halfway point, I am becoming more and more aware (and terrified) of my looming graduation date. I have no idea where I will end up in two years, but I know that the skills I have learned here will be valuable no matter what field I enter.