My name is Smirti BK. I studied international business at Karelia University of Applied Sciences starting in 2023. As part of my studies, I completed my internship at my home university as a communication intern. During my internship period I had the opportunity to work on different projects, develop my personal and professional skills, and gain hands on experience with professional experiences.
I completed my internship on a full-time basis for five months, starting from 19th of January to 18th of June 2026. I worked in the communication department, especially with my supervisor, Jenni Rahkola, who works as a communication specialist at Karelia UAS. The purpose of the internship is to gain hands-on experience in the field of communication and digital marketing.
The primary tasks I was responsible for were tasks related to making the marketing materials for the recruitment of international students, marketing photoshoots and video shoots, content creation for Karelia´s international account on Instagram, conducting research and taking part in communication related tasks assigned by my supervisor. Most of the time during my internship, I had a chance to work independently because I was the only intern for the department. The report highlights the activities completed during the internship, the skills gained, the challenges encountered, and, in the end, the key learning during the internship at Karelia UAS.
Learning
My internship period was 5 months. I consider it a good amount of time to learn, adapt, and employ any skills or knowledge. My learning results are noticeable. It helped me in different aspects that are important for me to build a career in communication and marketing. It helped me grow both personally, professionally, and socially. I made strong connections with people from different fields. I made some friends as well. The following are the professional and technical skills I gained and developed through my internship:
- Brand knowledge: I gained a better insight into the way the identity of Karelia UAS and its projects is communicated using brand standards. I came to know about the
importance of following brand guidelines for the sake of ensuring professionalism and coherence in communication materials. - Marketing Skills:
My understanding of basic marketing was enhanced and improved, especially in the context of higher education, internal, and external communication. I got the great chance to understand that marketing should be different according to the platform and audience, and what message we want to provide to the audience. - Communication:
My ability to express myself clearly and professionally has been acquired through my work experience. It involved the process of preparing written content, adjusting the style of communication according to the situation and audience, and the significance of tone and clarity in communication. - Canva and CapCut:
I obtained practical knowledge about working with Canva and CapCut to produce attractive and interesting visual and video content. - Adobe photoshop and illustration:
During the internship, I developed my basic skills in Adobe software, which improved my ability to make editable templates and create more professional–level visual content when needed. - Professional use of PowerPoint:
I practiced using MS PowerPoint more than Canva because when I started work, I understood that it is important to keep the information private so that everybody can use it. So, in that way, it is better to use PowerPoint than Canva. - Print vs web use:
I also got a chance to have a workshop with my supervisor to gain more insight about the difference between web use and printing materials. Later I did some self-study to gain more knowledge on different colors and what type of picture.
Challenges
Although my overall experience was positive, there were some challenges that I faced during the internship. The first during the time was to adopt the new environment of professional communication as well as learning the communication methods and tools of the university. In the beginning, I took some time to get used to the brand’s consistency with certain requirements. The second one is working in diverse backgrounds. I worked a lot with international students. It is difficult to convince them to work in video and sometimes they just cancelled just before the shoot so that time I had to work very wisely. I also learn various professional tools like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator while working. I found it quite challenging, but it gave me a valuable opportunity to learn and develop technical skills.
Advice for the future students
For those who are trying to find or about to start their internship, my advice is to be proactive and take advantage of every little opportunity to learn or explore. Always take initiative to learn. Build good communication with team members and colleagues. And remembering mistakes is a part of learning. Every challenge and setback can become a valuable experience that helps you grow both professionally and personally.
Conclusion
Overall, my five-month internship at Karelia University of Applied Sciences’ Communications Department was a highly valuable and enriching experience. It provided me with a realistic understanding of how communication and marketing function within a higher education institution, especially in an international context.
Through the internship, I had the opportunity to apply the knowledge I acquired through study into practice. I participated in many activities ranging from content generation, development of marketing material, social media engagement, research, production of podcasts, and promotions among others. Through participation in such activities, I gained insight into the use of various communication mediums as well as tools in strategic communication towards audiences.
Another highly significant achievement from my internship was an improvement in my technical and professional skills. My ability to create digital content utilizing platforms like Canva, Cap Cut, and Adobe Photoshop was enhanced. Moreover, I was able to get firsthand experience in social media marketing, video making, and basic advertising campaigns. Furthermore, my research, planning, and analysis skills improved because of multiple individual and group tasks assigned to me.
However, besides helping in developing my professional skills, the internship experience was equally important to my personal growth. The ability to work within the context of a professional working environment taught me how to communicate effectively, work with other people in a team, and manage my time properly. Additionally, I gained valuable knowledge on how to handle various assignments, be responsible for them, and work alone when necessary.
The other very important lesson learned was the significance of consistency and professionalism in communication. I learned about differences in marketing strategies depending on the platform used and target audience, especially when it comes to attracting international students.
To summarize, this internship became an important milestone for my personal development. In addition to consolidating my passion for communications and marketing, I obtained invaluable hands-on experience that increased my self-assurance regarding future careers in this sphere. I am very thankful for having an opportunity to work in such a friendly atmosphere and will certainly use my knowledge acquired in the future.
Author:
Smirti BK, communications intern, Karelia University of Applied Sciences
