Saturday, September 20, 2008

Googlers Beta

Remember those days when you just couldn't wait for the bell to ring on that last day of class? You'd sprint down the hall, burst through the door, and head for daylight, because it's...SUMMERTIME! It's time for iced lemonade and laying out at the beach (or the back-yard plastic pool party), and last but not least, internships at Google (yeah, internships)!

This summer, we played host to some incredible university students around the world - from 14,000 feet (or 4,500 meters!) up in the Swiss Alps to the land down under in Sydney, Australia. Our interns are only at Google for a few months, but their impact and presence remain long after they leave. They are key players in our daily innovation and have the opportunity to make big contributions. So, we wanted to tell their story. After all, they are Googlers Beta. Here is the first of many stories in our on-going series about our awesome interns, our Googlers Beta.

"I held multiple focus groups with interns, developing strategies and getting advice on the best way to market Google Apps to college students."
Brittan Smith, University Programs Intern

Name: Brittan Smith
Hometown: Chino, California
Department: People Operations, University Programs
Education: BA in Sociology at Harvard University



My Story:

Interning on the Global University Programs team, I knew some of my work this summer would revolve around something I am passionate about: education. What I did not know was how much fun I could have being able to merge my passion for education with my interest in marketing and my desire to connect directly with students.

The opportunity to work with both the University Programs and Product Marketing teams with the Google Apps "App to School" campaign has led to three months of working with people all over Google to support the launch of many student-focused initiatives.

My work started with a focus on Google Apps marketing strategies on university campuses for the Google Apps cross-country Bus Tour. I held multiple focus groups with interns, developing strategies and getting advice on the best ways to market Google Apps to college students. From there, my project ballooned. Next thing I knew, I was using these groups to support the Campus Ambassador Program [program for university students interested in promoting Google on their campuses], and to build the Student Blog [highlights intern experiences, new product launches and university initiatives at Google]. The suggestions from the interns kept the ball rolling and one idea really stuck out: "we want to see more interns." With that, creating intern profiles for the Student Blog, Student Job Site, and Student YouTube Channel became my top priority. Now intern profiles are being launched on all of these sites for your viewing.

Knowing that my work not only affects my team, but also university students all around the world, is great to know at the end of my internship. This summer has truly been an invaluable experience.

Posted by Ann Forbes-Cannon, Intern Program Team
Link - from Google Student Blog
Related: Going carbon neutral First stop: USC, Docs, and California sunshine

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