It’s time to say farewell to our summer interns who brightened our offices during the last few months, and in the process learned some valuable professional skills that will hopefully propel them on to successful careers.
Among the many activities they experienced during the summer months were lunch & learns with various departments, volunteering with our signature philanthropic partner Smile Farms, participating in a fun floral design workshop, getting professional headshots, and having coffee with our CEO and founder Jim McCann.
We “tuned in” with a few interns back in June to learn more about their roles and what they were most looking forward to, as well as hearing about their favorite musical inclinations.
Now that we’re approaching the end of the summer, we went back to this group to learn about their experiences, what they’ll take with them in the future, and what song best encapsulated their internships.
And in true concert fashion, we say, “Thank you for coming, and hope you enjoyed the show!”
Genevieve, Legal Intern, Jericho, N.Y.
A bit about Genevieve: I am a student at New York Law School, and I will be starting my third and final year this fall.
What was your favorite part of the summer at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.? This summer, I was extremely fortunate to work with, and help, the attorneys in the legal department, who were all extremely helpful, and supportive.
It’s hard to pick a favorite because the best part of this summer was getting to work on a wide breadth of legal matters, from data privacy compliance and employment matters, to assisting with the Annual Report.
But, perhaps the most fun part was drafting rules for Instagram sweepstakes/giveaways and reviewing advertising copy, which kept the work exciting and entertaining.
Working at a company like 1-800-FlOWERS.COM, Inc. as an in-house attorney is my dream after I finish law school, and this experience has only solidified my goal!
What did you learn here that you will take with you in the future? My manager has given me a lot of sage advice for my legal career and beyond. My favorite piece of advice, which comes up constantly, is to positively work and collaborate with coworkers across all departments because it is the most valuable way to learn from one another.
In my career, I hope to work as an in-house attorney, where I can assist every department in a wide range of matters and learn from my colleagues about their work in the process. I will not only remember my manager’s advice, but I look forward to utilizing it in the future, so I can be a successful and helpful attorney, while learning from my coworkers.
What song do you think best represents your internship experience? “Gratitude” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
Johnny, Growth Marketing Intern, Jericho, N.Y.
A bit about Johnny:I’m a senior at SUNY Old Westbury, majoring in Marketing and I am currently enrolled in my last course.
What was your favorite part of the summer at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.? ContentStack is a program used to make updates to the company website. My manager gave me the task to merchandise collections on our international website.
I saw parts of the updates through my coworkers on the growth marketing team, but not enough to have a solid grasp; however, my manager gave me the chance to learn while doing the work. This put me in a situation where I had to grasp something quickly. I was thrilled that I figured out how to merchandise properly after spending some time going at it alone.
What did you learn here that you will take with you in the future? My manager has risen through the ranks quickly here at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. She has shared what has worked for her during several of our one-on-one meetings. She emphasized that learning about how the whole business operates is an advantage. And she puts it into practice because the growth marketing team collaborates with multiple teams across the company. I found learning the big picture of the company made project planning more efficient.
What song do you think best represents your internship experience? “Magic” by Pilot
Zoila, Strategy and Business Development Intern, Jericho, N.Y.
A bit about Zoila:I am from El Salvador and moved to New York in 2016. I am a senior majoring in Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communications with a minor in Graphic Design at Pace University.
What was your favorite part of the summer at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.? My favorite part of the summer was the Floral Design Workshop. I enjoyed the workshop because it provided valuable insights into creating flower arrangements from scratch for special occasions, like July 4th, and also made the learning process incredibly enjoyable.
I gained a wealth of knowledge about flower arrangement techniques, pricing, and the variety of flowers available in the market.
What did you learn here that you will take with you in the future? Overcoming the fear of taking risks, and going out of my comfort zone, has been a key takeaway. Instead of fearing failure, I now understand that making mistakes is a natural part of the learning journey. I am now more inclined to welcome challenges and use them as stepping stones for personal development.
What song do you think best represents your internship experience? "A Million Dreams" by P!nk.
Piaras, Merchandising Operations Intern, Jericho, N.Y.
A bit about Piaras: I am going into my junior year at Marist as a Marketing Major.
What was your favorite part of the summer at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.? My favorite thing about the summer was meeting and becoming friends with the other interns, and meeting people from other departments and learning about the company culture.
What did you learn here that you will take with you in the future? I learned about good time management and working with other people on group projects and how important the practice of divide and conquer is to getting the job done.
What song do you think best represents your internship experience? “Fortunate Son,” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Khushi, IT Intern, Jericho, N.Y.
A bit about Khushi: I'm a Computer Science major at George Washington University.
What was your favorite part of the summer at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.? My favorite part of summer at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. was working on the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance project and being able to see the changes that I made reflected on the website. I also loved working on the intern project and collaborating with my group members to create something we were all proud of that we presented to the company leadership.
What did you learn here that you will take with you in the future? The amount of logistics involved in making a company successful requires coordination between many people and their teams. Teamwork is very important, and everyone plays a critical role within the organization.
What song do you think best represents your internship experience? “Good Life” by OneRepublic
James, Fruit Operations Intern, Jericho, N.Y.
A bit about James: I am going into my senior year at Marist College, where I study Finance and Marketing and have a minor in Economics.
What was your favorite part of the summer at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.? My favorite part of the summer has been meeting all the wonderful people at the company and learning from all of them.
What did you learn here that you will take with you in the future? I think the biggest thing I learned from this experience are all the communication and technical skills that I can take with me and use at any point during my professional career.
What song do you think best represents your internship experience? “You Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman from Toy Story.
We wish all our interns the very best and thank them for their amazing work!
If you’re interested in learning more about internships and career opportunities at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. visit 1800flowersinc.com/careers.
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