April 01, 2019
By Kate Andrews ’03 Weller
Interning at a small company has many perks, including working closely with the CEO, feeling like an integral part of the team and getting actual professional experience. Olivia Miller ’19 has experienced all of this and more as a marketing intern at Gilson Snowboard and Ski Co. in Winfield, Pennsylvania.
“This internship has been one of the biggest blessings of my college career,” Miller says. “I will be forever grateful to the entire team for giving me this opportunity, and for helping me to grow, believe in myself and believe in my abilities. I now know what I’m capable of and have a vast amount of experience in multiple aspects of marketing, and I owe all of this entirely to Gilson.”
Gilson was founded by Austin Royer ’10 and business partner Nicholas Gilson in 2014. “Olivia brings a unique perspective to our team. She is encouraged to think outside the box and helps keep our social media current and relevant,” Royer says.
Interning at Gilson each semester since May 2018, Miller has helped to manage the social media copy and schedule Facebook and Instagram posts using several types of social media dashboards.
“I exercise a great deal of creative control over my projects, while working alongside the chief operations officer, chief executive officer, and the head of marketing and corporate partnerships,” says the marketing major.
“I really enjoy digital marketing and using technology to analyze consumer engagement. It allows me to see the products of my work and use the data to better my performance and the deliverables I produce for the company,” Miller adds.
Aside from social and digital media work, Miller has applied the skills gained in her Marketing Research class to research and analyze demographic information and then implement a college student ambassadorship program on Susquehanna’s campus. She also helped market Gilson’s annual Summer Snow Day, a community outreach event attended by thousands of people from across the country.
Miller also credits Susquehanna’s Integrated Marketing Communications course as important to her work at Gilson, as it relates to her use and analysis of demographic, psychographic and geographic information; positioning; and development of brand strategy.
After graduation, she hopes to find a position in digital marketing in the Philadelphia area.
“I’ve learned so much from the Gilson team and will take my knowledge and put it into action with future positions,” Miller says.