Our Final Pitch turned out extremely well! After our early struggles, we were able to buckle down and deliver an awesome pitch full of many innovative ideas. Our mentors were proud as well as the other HLK staff that sat in on the presentation. On behalf of Interngalactic I would like to thank our mentors and everyone at HLK for making these past six weeks successful and enjoyable.

And to my teammates: The work we put in during these six short weeks was extremely valuable. You all are incredible and we fulfilled the objectives that we were given. I thank you all for this and I look forward to seeing you out there in the world.

Nick: Copywriter

Launchpad was an incredible opportunity to be creative and learn as I'm entering the world of advertising. I had a great time collaborating with our team and getting to know the amazing people at HLK over the past six weeks. Our assignments were exciting, challenging and true to life; not every part of the process was fun or easy, but the most difficult places were where I learned the most.

My advice: don't be afraid to be pushed out of your comfort zone; if you embrace the challenges put in front of you, you'll get the most out of your six weeks. (Also, be nice to Katie and she might make you a cake.

Elodie: Media Strategist

Although I find it hard to summarize my experience at HLK the past six weeks in a few sentences, I can truly say that it was transformative. Before Launchpad, I imagined my future sitting in an office doing work that I wasn't sure that I would be passionate about, but through this internship, I realized that that does not have to be the case. Launchpad allows you to deal with real clients and real briefs. You are thrown into agency life and are given the opportunity to collaborate with so many people to come up with ideas that can potentially be presented to the client by the agency.

If I had one piece of advice for the future interns, it would be to communicate well with other interns as well as your mentor. It is so important to keep the lines of communication open because everyone is there to help you be the best you can. This internship is short, but there are so many opportunities for growth. Try your hardest and push yourself to do the best that you can in every aspect of the internship.

Haley: Account Strategist

My experience with Launchpad has been exciting and inspiring. Being a marketing major, before this internship I had some exposure to advertising, but mainly the marketing research and analysis of ads rather than the creative process. Personally I feel as though Launchpad is the perfect balance of employing content I have learned in school while gaining new skill sets through hands on experiences. Launchpad has opened my eyes to this fascinating and compelling industry, assuring me that I have a passion for the work it entails and an admiration for the accomplishments of mentors and employees I had the pleasure of meeting during this experience. I also loved getting to work with my fellow members of Interngalactic and drew inspiration from their passions and skills throughout our time working together. The team aspect of Launchpad was so beneficial and motivating that not only did I learn about strategy and the advertising industry overall, I also picked up some tips on how to better my LinkedIn presence from Elodie, learned a thing or two about design from Julia and was educated on the oxford comma by Nick. I gained so much from this internship and I will treasure the lessons, experiences and relationships forever!

A piece of advice I would offer to future Launchpaders is to get to know your mentor. These individuals are some of the most kind and helpful people ever and I don't know where I would have been without the help of my mentor! Ask them any questions you have and learn from their wealth of knowledge, they're professionals and will always have advice to offer no matter what questions you have!

Julia Heumann: Art Director

This experience was more than I expected in many ways. I learned so much about each part of the agency, as well as my own job. Being the art direction intern allowed me to see behind the scenes of the creative process. It taught me so much about myself and pushed me to create more intentionally. I loved getting to cater my skills and all that school has taught me to a real life company. I admire my mentor and all that he taught me these past six weeks. I also admire all of the other mentors for teaching me so much about the agency and their specific roles. I loved how comfortable the office felt almost immediately. I am excited to continue to pursue art direction! This internship taught me that relationships are important, strong teamwork is vital and to always think bigger and bigger.

Bo: Account Manager

My time at HLK was awesome. From the very first day to the very end, it was fun. Some days were more fun than others but that is just life. The intern team was very talented and I am extremely grateful to have been able to work with each one of them. We worked well as a team and challenged each other to do our best which was phenomenal. I am glad to have experienced this internship. It made me grow professionally and personally, gave me opportunities I could have never imagined, and the entire agency was very welcoming and always very helpful.

If I had to give one piece of advice to an upcoming lauchpader I would say to almost over communicate. If you and your team are not on the same page then things will get frustrating and difficult. Even though sometimes it may seem that you are repeating or stating the obvious, it is much better to be overly clear than to be left in the dark. Communication is key in life and it is important to be abundantly clear in what you are doing and what you are trying to accomplish.

Josh: Content Manager

Working in Launchpad was an incredible experience that surpassed my expectations. Going into my senior year at Mizzou, I am at a very important time in my life as I attempt to settle into my career path. HLK not only taught me countless strategies but also opened my eyes to the advertising industry. The drive for innovation at HLK is very high and that atmosphere is where I thrive the most. The workplace was comfortable and I was able to do my job without worrying about outside factors. Working with real-life clients was a definite bonus in the program as I got to apply my experience and knowledge to each campaign. Our final pitch turned out very well as we all were satisfied with our efforts. It’s hard to summarize this experience so I just want to highlight how much I was able to grow within the Launchpad program.

My advice to future Launchpaders is to be yourself and be ready to work as a team. Your team needs your skills and your insight so you need to move confidently when you’re in the building. Your ideas are good enough, and you are smart enough, so move confidently and you will succeed. And finally, strive outside of your comfort zone because then you will learn the most.