A Leg Up On the Competition

"If you could be any part of a salad, what would you be?”

That was a question Jillian Nafziger ’22 was asked in an interview for the digital marketing internship at United Fire Group (UFG). Although unusual, the silly question foreshadowed Jillian’s fun and worthwhile internship experience at UFG.

“I said that I’d probably be the dressing to add a little bit of pizzazz. I’d bring pizzazz to the internship,” said Jillian. “I’ll never forget when they asked me that question.”

In addition to pizzazz, Jillian brought the skills she learned in Enactus to the internship too. And, as she was chosen out of dozens of applicants, it’s what set her apart.

"I eventually asked my supervisor why I was chosen, and she said it was largely because I had prior experience with digital marketing,” said Jillian. “Enactus gave me those experiences, and I think that’s why I had a leg up. If I didn’t join Enactus, I don’t think I would have gotten the internship.”

Enactus is an international nonprofit that encourages entrepreneurial thinking to help students make a difference in their communities. Jillian was first introduced to Mount Mercy’s Enactus chapter her freshman year when she volunteered at their biggest event of the year, Market at the Mount, a craft and vendor show on campus.

“I helped vendors bring their products and displays in the morning of the market, and I ended up staying all day,” said Jillian. “I really enjoyed being around the vendors and the Enactus club—it drew me in.”

Jillian formally joined Enactus and quickly became vice president of social media for the club. She became more involved and helped coordinate Enactus events like their spring market.

“I was really shy at first, but then I started to get involved,” said Jillian. “For the spring market, I created social media pages, helped find vendors, and coordinated with them.”

Because of her organization and communication skills, club members recommended that Jillian run for co-president of Enactus, which came with additional responsibilities to run Market at the Mount, but—more importantly—added learning experiences.

“As co-president, I took a bigger role in the logistics, like timing and coordination of vendors,” said Jillian. “I also scheduled social media advertisements and reached out to The Gazette about advertisements. I never knew event planning was so intense.”

“My internship prepared me for my life after graduation, and while I’m not sure what that will look like yet, it was beneficial in so many ways. I just learned so much.”

Jillian’s experiences in Enactus led her to a successful internship at UFG, where she expanded upon her solid foundation of skills. Jillian contributed to paid and organic social media efforts, wrote blog posts, compiled data from A/B testing, and helped with the popular UFG Worth It campaign.

“My internship prepared me for my life after graduation, and while I’m not sure what that will look like yet, it was beneficial in so many ways,” said Jillian. “I just learned so much.”