Editor’s Note: If you have an intern you think deserves to be nominated for ITC’s Intern Pick of the Week, then email molly@inthecapital.com or DM her at @mollygreenberg.
Interns come and go, but if one stands out, then you make sure to hang on to them like your life depends on it. They are the diamonds in the rough, one of the most valuable members of your company. Though they may be looked at as temporary figures, their contribution to your business is one that cannot be replicated by any other college student, no matter how good their resume may appear. Here at ITC, we want to highlight the rarities, the interns you simply could not live without. Thus we bring you ITC’s Intern Pick of the Week, Daniyal Ahmad.
He may be attending college outside of the country, but he has traveled back home to his roots in order to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams for the summer. Born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Daniyal Ahmad headed over to the University of Edinburgh in the UK to begin his higher education career back in 2009. He is currently in his fourth year, expecting to graduate with an MA (Honours) in Political Science and Government. When we at ITC discovered that one of our articles was the reason Daniyal connected with Social Driver where he retains his current internship, we were immediately enthused about talking to him. Honestly, it's pretty awesome that we had a hand in establishing such a rewarding relationship for both parties. Daniyal has spent countless hours at Social Driver, proving over and over again his worth to the local startup, which is why, due to his amazing work ethic and commitment, ITC has determined him our newest Intern Pick of the Week.
When did you acquire your first internship?
Summer 2010. After my first year at university I worked for a mechanical contracting firm in Bladensburg, MD. It was pretty terrible as I was given the standard tedious tasks (mail, copying, answering phones, filing) and I was not the slightest bit interested in engineering, contracting or construction. On the other hand, I got paid.
What does your current internship entail?
I work for Social Driver. We are a digital agency and companies hire us to connect with people online. We build websites, design smartphone apps, manage social media, and help companies form relationships with their audiences.
My work entails mainly business development – I help research companies, analyze their needs or problems and help write proposals. I also help out with managing the various social media campaigns we run for our clients. On top of that, I help my co-workers with anything I can – from event organizing, taking pictures, preparing my supervisors for conferences they are attending. It’s a small office so there’s always something to do!
What’s the coolest part of your internship?
Probably the culture and atmosphere. From day one the people at Social Driver have treated me as an equal colleague not just an intern – they let me sit in on calls, meetings and even let me go to their first ever corporate retreat. It's just a fun place to work because everyone is young and laid back, but at the same time very ambitious and motivated. It makes for a good ambiance. Moreover the work we do is super interesting. It's kind of a convergence of marketing, digital strategy and consulting so every day brings another unique challenge or project.
Why did you choose your current internship?
At my university I helped one of my friend create an e-tutoring startup and ever since I’ve been really interested in business, digital marketing, and new media – though I am majoring in Political Science. When I found Social Driver, I honestly didn’t know what to expect but I knew it would be a challenge and an internship unlike anything else I had experienced.
How did you find your internship?
Actually, from InTheCapital. I am attending a four-year university at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK, but I am originally from the D.C. area (Sidwell Friends High School Alum). I knew I would be in D.C. for the summer so I browsed various listing for internships in the District and couldn’t really find anything. Then one day on my Facebook newsfeed I saw that one of my friends had linked an article from InTheCapital titled something like ‘Best D.C. startups to Intern for’ and Social Driver was one of them. I went through their application process and fortunately they gave me a Skype interview. A couple of months later, and I was in!
What could you not live without at your internship? (tech, coffee, music, etc.)
Music. I couldn’t survive my day let alone an internship without music blaring out of my big headphones. I actually have been writing an electronic and hip hop music blog (www.beartoons.tumblr.com ) in my free time for the past 15 months; it sort of centers on the music divide I find between the UK and the US. I’ve blared my tunes in the office a couple times and thankfully my colleagues don’t seem to mind it!
How do you think your internship will help you after graduation?
Firstly this internship has given me a great insight into what working is like in downtown D.C. – I had lived here for 18 years but never really worked in the city itself. Second, before this internship I wasn’t sure if the business sector was for me, but now I am sure that I want to pursue a career in business albeit with an international perspective. Third, I really had no idea that there were challenging and exciting jobs in D.C. beyond the finance, foreign service and lobbying sectors, now I know there is a burgeoning tech and entrepreneur community that is really pushing the envelope in business - one that I would like to be a part of someday. Fourth, and finally, learning from Thomas Sanchez and Anthony Shop (Social Driver's co-founders) has been an awesome experience that I think will set me in the right direction going forward.
If you had to change one thing about how your university helped you with internships, what would it be?
Studying in the UK, I’ve come to learn that the mentality regarding career support and internships in general is completely different. Regarding the former, it just doesn’t really exist – as a student you need to be really proactive about finding the right people to advise you and help you – the mandated university support ends at the jobs board. And with regards to the latter – people in the UK and in Europe generally do not really have the same idea as Americans on internships. Internships over there are usually for short time periods, are almost exclusively paid and are not redeemable for college credit.
