"It's so refreshing to work in a division where everyone is friends," said Chelsea Mann '09 (Chevy Chase, Md.) of her summer internship. Mann's stories of a relaxed atmosphere, however, disguise the competitive nature of her internship: Mann was one of only 16 students selected to serve as a 2007 intern with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). She spent her summer working in Washington, D.C. as a marketing intern with the NAHB at their publications arm BuilderBooks.
The NAHB is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 235,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, design, housing finance, and other aspects of residential construction. BuilderBooks publishes inspirational and educational products for the housing industry. It is also the official bookstore for NAHB, offering a variety of books, software, brochures and more in English and Spanish.
Mann's responsibilities included writing press releases, promotional e-blasts, and articles for Nation's Building News, NAHB's online newsletter. She has also helped design magazine advertisements, manage website content for NAHB.org and BuilderBooks.com, and helped prepare BuilderBooks for their involvement in the 2008 International Builder's Show in Orlando, Fla., among other upcoming events.
Although there was a specific template for much of Mann's writing, she welcomed the chance to find new ways to phrase things. She was also able to take advantage of her interests in both English and Spanish. "I've particularly enjoyed promoting our English-Spanish jobsite safety products," she explained.
Her favorite job has been pitching Tara-Nicholle Nelson's Trillion Dollar Women: Use Your Power to Make Buying and Remodeling Decisions, a book on powerful women in the real estate market. Nelson, a former teenage mother and abused wife, is now a real estate success story and a role model for women. Mann has pitched the NAHB-published Trillion Dollar Woman to TV show hosts Tyra Banks and Oprah as well as women's studies departments in colleges across the U.S.
Mann, who has previously interned for the National Museum of Women in the Arts in an editorial position, said that she enjoyed being back in the working world for another summer. "The BuilderBooks team has proven that it's possible to be productive, efficient, and good at your job while still having a sense of humor," Mann said. She enjoyed working with her boss, co-workers, and fellow interns, and received a surprise banquet at her last marketing meeting.
The veteran of two internships, Mann is in a good position to give advice to future applicants. Any opportunity is important, she emphasized, both for experience and to learn not to be intimidated by the working world. "Though they may be older adults dressed up in heels and suits conducting more serious business, you'll see that adults can still be just as goofy, disorganized, and immature as college or high school students," she explained.
Mann is a writer for the Continental magazine and The Spectator, for which she is also a copy editor; she is also a tour guide. A musician with dreams of devoting professional time to singing/songwriting, Mann is a member of the Music Student Union and the women's a capella group Tumbling After (she is also their publicist). Mann has numerous plans for after college; she hopes to work in the press – in a position that "involves a lot of interviewing so I can engage with people" – or teach children with disabilities and is considering a graduate degree is psychology.
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
The NAHB is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 235,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, design, housing finance, and other aspects of residential construction. BuilderBooks publishes inspirational and educational products for the housing industry. It is also the official bookstore for NAHB, offering a variety of books, software, brochures and more in English and Spanish.
Mann's responsibilities included writing press releases, promotional e-blasts, and articles for Nation's Building News, NAHB's online newsletter. She has also helped design magazine advertisements, manage website content for NAHB.org and BuilderBooks.com, and helped prepare BuilderBooks for their involvement in the 2008 International Builder's Show in Orlando, Fla., among other upcoming events.
Although there was a specific template for much of Mann's writing, she welcomed the chance to find new ways to phrase things. She was also able to take advantage of her interests in both English and Spanish. "I've particularly enjoyed promoting our English-Spanish jobsite safety products," she explained.
Her favorite job has been pitching Tara-Nicholle Nelson's Trillion Dollar Women: Use Your Power to Make Buying and Remodeling Decisions, a book on powerful women in the real estate market. Nelson, a former teenage mother and abused wife, is now a real estate success story and a role model for women. Mann has pitched the NAHB-published Trillion Dollar Woman to TV show hosts Tyra Banks and Oprah as well as women's studies departments in colleges across the U.S.
Mann, who has previously interned for the National Museum of Women in the Arts in an editorial position, said that she enjoyed being back in the working world for another summer. "The BuilderBooks team has proven that it's possible to be productive, efficient, and good at your job while still having a sense of humor," Mann said. She enjoyed working with her boss, co-workers, and fellow interns, and received a surprise banquet at her last marketing meeting.
The veteran of two internships, Mann is in a good position to give advice to future applicants. Any opportunity is important, she emphasized, both for experience and to learn not to be intimidated by the working world. "Though they may be older adults dressed up in heels and suits conducting more serious business, you'll see that adults can still be just as goofy, disorganized, and immature as college or high school students," she explained.
Mann is a writer for the Continental magazine and The Spectator, for which she is also a copy editor; she is also a tour guide. A musician with dreams of devoting professional time to singing/songwriting, Mann is a member of the Music Student Union and the women's a capella group Tumbling After (she is also their publicist). Mann has numerous plans for after college; she hopes to work in the press – in a position that "involves a lot of interviewing so I can engage with people" – or teach children with disabilities and is considering a graduate degree is psychology.
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
