In her junior year at Flushing High School, Emily Hall graduated from TeenQuest. That following spring, she interviewed with Genesee County Parks during the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI) job fair and landed a job as a marketing intern.
“When I first started with Genesee County Parks, I wanted to be a teacher,” says Hall. “But working in marketing, I learned how much I liked it. I never would have known if it wasn’t for this job.”
Now, Hall is in her third year studying marketing at Mott Community College through a university transfer program with Northwood University, where she will complete her degree. While she pursues a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing, she continues to work at the Genesee County Parks as a park office aid in their marketing department.
How did you get to your current position with Genesee County Parks?
I was hired as a marketing intern through SYI after taking TeenQuest my sophomore year of high school. I really like working there and I figured out that I could keep working there by doing the co-op program with my school. The next summer, I was rehired and then I stayed on to do some extra work. After high school, I saw a job listing for my current position and applied.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I manage social media, where I post updates and answer questions. I also update our website, make flyers and brochures, take pictures and videos in the parks and create our email blasts.
What is your favorite part about your job?
The people that I work with. Everyone here is very nice to each other. They always make sure to check in and say, “Hi!”
How did the lessons you learned in TeenQuest help you on the path to this position?
Before TeenQuest, I didn’t have a resume or know how to write a cover letter. They walked us through that. This year, I had the opportunity to interview SYI students, and it reminded me how much TeenQuest teaches students.
How did it feel to get to interview someone that just went through TeenQuest?
It was an amazing experience because I was once in their shoes. I know what they did to prepare and what they went through to get to this interview.
What advice would you offer to current TeenQuest students?
Some of the content you learn will seem like you don’t need it, but it will come up when you’re interviewing for a job. When I started TeenQuest, I thought I already knew everything they were going to teach me. But when I started interviewing for jobs, I found myself going over my notes because what they taught us was important.
TeenQuest and Summer Youth Initiative are made possible through the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
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