For Ryan Russo ‘26, a marketing and public relations double major at St. Ambrose University, a summer internship in the university’s communications and marketing office offered the perfect opportunity to build professional experience right here on campus.
“I like that the internship is at St. Ambrose because I already know the campus pretty well,” said Russo, a Sycamore, Illinois, native and member of the university’s competitive cheer team. “So I was able to use that to my advantage.”
Finding the trends
Over the summer, Russo took on a variety of content creation tasks, focusing largely on social media.
“I worked on Instagram stories, Instagram reels, and Tik Toks,” Russo said. “Those are really fun to do. I got to use what I already know from being on social media and apply it to work.”
Whether it was capturing snippets from orientation events or putting an Ambrose spin on trending audio, Russo leaned into his creativity. In fact, one of his favorite projects was getting to work with trending audio.
“I thought I was a genius,” Russo said. “I was relating the ‘I got a text’ trend to getting a package in the mailroom. It was just something that I had fun with.”
In addition to filming and editing videos, Russo also helped with website updates, including faculty profiles and content aimed at improving search engine optimization. He was able to apply his own knowledge and experience as a current student to gear web content for prospective students.
“I imagined what someone like me – close by, wanted a small school experience, looking at athletics – would want to search for,” Russo said.
Real-world lessons
The internship also helped Russo build confidence and become comfortable with behind the scenes in content creation, like scheduling posts and understanding copyright limitations.
“It brought me into a new perspective of how big of a project it is,” Russo said. “You can’t just film and post. You have to get permission, and that’s something I learned more about.”
Russo said he especially gained insight into the realities of filming content in public, recalling the nerves he felt during a shoot at the Brewed Book coffee shop in Davenport.
“Filming in public is actually really scary,” Russo said. “But you just have to go for it. There’s no way of overcoming the fear without just doing it.”
Senior year and beyond
Russo said the experience helped shape what he wants in a future career.
“I enjoyed a lot of the website stuff, and I realized that social media is not the only thing that I’m interested in when it comes to marketing,” he said. “It just formed more of what I plan on doing.”
While his dream job would be working with the Disney parks, his ultimate goal is simpler: “To work with a team that I enjoy,” he said. “It makes the workday really great.”
As he heads into his senior year, Russo is preparing to start another internship with Sodexo, focusing on social media for campus dining services. With cheer season, classes, and this new role ahead, he’s looking forward to what’s next – and reflecting on what he’s gained.
“It’s definitely a fun job to have,” he said of his internship. “Have fun with it, because that’s how you’re going to get the best content, and let your creative side show.”
