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Peyton Hiscocks, senior, advertising

This summer, I worked at Webspec as a graphic design intern to complete my 499A internship requirement. I was lucky enough to be a part of their new summer internship program, though you would never guess it is in its first year.

Webspec is a web design, development and digital marketing agency based in Urbandale, Iowa. They are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary of providing exceptional web services. Some of Webspec’s notable clients include Dart, Drake University, the University of Iowa, HyVee, Principal Financial Group, Living History Farms and more.

I spent the summer working on internal projects and client work for companies such as Johnston Robotics Association, Iowa Fireworks Company, Shottenkirk Chevrolet and more. Throughout my time at Webspec, I was not alone but rather on a team with three other interns. Our team was similarly structured to all the other teams at Webspec with a project management intern, a web development intern, a content coordinator intern, and of course, myself, the graphic design intern.

As a team, we completed our largest project, a complete and fully responsive website for Johnston Robotics Association. As of Aug. 4, 2021, this site is live at johnstonrobotics.org.

Some other work I completed was internal promotional material mockups, social media post designs for @whatthehackdesmoines on Instagram, a branding package for Johnston Robotics Association, various marketing materials for Iowa Fireworks Company, a website landing page design for Studly Dog, and so much more!

Though I have learned a lot from these projects I completed, I learned even more from the non-billable training opportunities Webspec was kind enough to provide me. For example, as my interest in web design grew, they paid for me to complete three Codecademy courses, including Learn HTML, Learn CSS, and Learn Intermediate CSS. These really helped me be more confident in my web design skills, as I could assist more on the development side. Another training opportunity provided me with paid time was to attend the YURtern event series put on by the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce. This series has been so beneficial to me. In each session, we learned about important topics such as salary negotiation, resumé tips, how to nail interviews and how to quickly impress when you start a new job.

Overall, I am very thankful I got to spend my summer at Webspec, and I am definitely grateful for all the opportunities I received there. I now have an abundance of work to add to my portfolio and a great experience to include on my resumé, which is sure to help me fulfill my next career move. My time at Webspec would not be possible without the scholarship I received through the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. My internship was paid, but these costs helped to cover the cost of summer tuition to be enrolled in the required internship course.

Editor’s note: Edited for length and clarity. Greenlee 499A internship scholarships support students who have a primary major in advertising, journalism and mass communication or public relations and are completing their required 400-hour internships. The application is available each spring.