Social media certificate spotlight: Lindsay Wielonski

Lindsay Wielonski is a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, majoring in journalism news and information, minoring in theater, and pursuing a certificate in social media. Lindsay has used her experience from the social media certificate, specifically Ohio University’s strategic social media course, to advance her social media skills and land two internships this summer.

Describe your activities across campus. 

I’ve been involved in student organizations like The Post, where I write for the culture section, and Scripps Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Previously, I worked with OU’s theater department in the publicity area. Last summer, outside of Ohio University, I was a communications intern with the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce in Lebanon, Ohio. Before starting my internship, I wasn’t exactly sure what the chambers of commerce were like, so it was great to see everything that went into helping the local economy and bringing the city together. A lot of my work was making content for and editing the website. It was great to get some experience with graphic design. 

This summer, I’m very excited to be interning with Cincinnati CityBeat as an editorial intern! As a Cincinnati native, I’m ecstatic to cover what’s going on in my hometown and discover new things about it. I’ll also be working with Applehead City Pet as a social media marketing intern! I love animals and I’m looking forward to using the skills I’ve gained in the social media certificate.  

What are your professional goals? 

I’m really interested in writing for a news organization or working in PR or marketing at an arts company. I like writing stories in the culture, arts, and environment areas, so if I work as a reporter, I would love to cover one of those beats.  

How do you think the social media certificate will help you in the future? 

The social media certificate has been a great addition to my journalism degree. As someone who hasn’t always known what they’ve wanted to do, the social media certificate classes have opened my eyes to the many different specializations and areas within communications. I think the certificate will help me in whatever area I choose to go into because social media has become such a vital asset to marketing. I’ve gained a lot of real-world experience in the certificate program, and it helped me land my internship with Applehead City Pet! 

What social media channels do you run? 

I don’t currently run any social media channels, but this summer, I’ll be running Applehead City Pet’s Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  

What's your favorite class within the social media certificate program? 

My favorite class I’ve taken in the social media certificate program so far has been Strategic Social Media. It was really cool to receive more insight into what social media managers do day-to-day. One of our assignments in the class was to analyze a local business’ social media, and then pitch them a social media strategy/ campaign that would improve their social media presence and increase business. Although we didn’t actually implement these campaigns, this project really helped me understand what makes a social media strategy successful. I learned a lot about increasing awareness of a brand and making content to connect with audiences. I’m excited to use what I learned in this class in my social media internship this summer and continue to grow my skill set!