Beyond the Classroom: Advertising Major Olivia Covington Discusses Her Internship with Global Agency R/GA

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Olivia Covington (she/her) is a senior Advertising major with minors in Strategic Communication, Professional/Technical Writing, and International Studies and commuter student from Cherry Hill, NJ (Camden County). Here, Olivia share details she is interning with marketing company R/GA as a remote copywriting intern.

Can you tell me about your internship and the responsibilities you have there?

I’m interning with R/GA as a copy intern. Some of my responsibilities include: being the copy lead for my intern project, helping out with client work, working on updates to existing ideas/executions, developing new thoughts and seeing them through to completion, and ensuring work is accurate and interesting. It allows me to gain a sense of agency life and network and develop and hone my voice as a writer.

What got you interested in this field?

I planned to be a journalism major the summer before freshman year, but realized that wasn’t the route I wanted to take. I talked to my academic advisor about switching to marketing, but she told me it’d involve math and I suck at math. She suggested advertising and I went with it — now I love it.

A headshot of Olivia Covington smiling.
Olivia Covington (above)

Was there a specific mentor that you would turn to about your degree/field? How did they help you?

I have a mentor, who I found on LinkedIn, Lovest Watson. Shoutout to Annie Elliot though! Without her I never would’ve met Lovest or got this internship! Annie filled me in so much about the industry — things I had no idea about and would have struggled with later on. My actual mentor, Lovest, answers all my questions and shares all his tips and tricks of the industry. He’s super knowledgeable, and I’m so glad to know him!

How did you come across/acquire your position?

I found a Google Forms link within a giant list of resources on LinkedIn. It was super informal, and I thought there was no way this would lead to anything.

What has been the most meaningful experience you’ve had at your position so far?

I’d say meeting all the R/GAers (people who work at R/GA). We’ve had so many meetings, and some I’ve scheduled myself, where copywriters, creative directors, CEOs, etc. gave us tons of insight and knowledge. I loved hearing their experience and advice. Second up is working on copy for Fender and TONAL.

Olivia Covington in a Zoom meeting for her remote R/GA internship.
Olivia (top, center) in a Zoom meeting with R/GA creatives.

How has your overall experience been so far? 

It’s been amazing so far! I’ve never been in such a welcoming and diverse work environment. That really stood out to me. Everyone is willing to help and guide you! Literally you can hit up anyone on Slack to ask them a question or just to connect with them and they’re more than willing. I’ve also enjoyed meeting the other interns. Everyone is super talented and kind, and they’ve been great to work with. In terms of the work, it’s been fun, but stressful at times. This career involves a lot of quick thinking and sometimes things change and you have to adjust accordingly.

What knowledge or skills have you developed through this opportunity that you will take with you for future endeavors?

To ask questions, always ask for feedback, get comfortable with being uncomfortable and to not box yourself in (try and learn new things). Also the importance of work-life balance cause this is just a job! The main skills I’ve gained so far are: better teamwork skills, improvement in my writing, script writing skills, learning about how campaigns operate creatively, and accepting difficult criticism.

Do you belong to any clubs or organizations at Rowan?

Yes, I’m the president of ProfAgency (we’re always open to new members)!

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Story by:

Skyla Everwine, English and writing arts major

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