Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service invites community members to submit opinion pieces of 500-800 words on topics of interest to central city Milwaukee. To send a submission for consideration, please email [email protected]. The views expressed are solely those of the authors. High school talents from BrandLab Milwaukee worked with the innovative teams at the Yodelpop marketing firm and News414 for a 10-week summer internship. The goal of the collaboration was to foster creativity and empower the emerging generation of marketers and journalists to have their voices heard. The interns tackled the challenges of mastering the technical nuances of social media marketing while championing the importance of voting in local elections. Aryana Lopez, senior at Pathways High School Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing! My sophomore year was when I first learned about The BrandLab. They had us pair up with someone, take a random item (my item was mascara), and repurpose it. Then we had to explain the item’s purpose, why it’s useful, who we’d market it toward. This brought a new light to my eyes because it was something that could use creativity and thinking. BrandLab’s mission to diversify the marketing and communication industries in Milwaukee stood out to me. Everybody wants to see themselves in advertising. You are not assigned to a certain role in life. Marketing can help people see things differently. It’s a chance for you to reach certain people and let them be aware of what they are capable of. Especially in Milwaukee, when there’s such a diverse community, you shouldn’t only show the “nice” parts, the other sides are beautiful, too. And we have to show that. Through News414, we heard from people who had felt so alienated in their work field because it was dominated by white people. But once they found that diversity, they felt like they could actually breathe and be themselves. They didn’t have to work 10 times as hard just to get to the top. They could just be who they are and be seen for what hard work they do. It was so nice to hear these stories because they were relatable and felt so real. It’s important that we learn this today so that we can change tomorrow. I am forever grateful for this experience because not only have I realized my passion with marketing, the process of everything from making a video to making a social post, and taking ideas together, but because of all the knowledge that’s been passed to me from Yodelpop and News414. I’ve never felt more welcome than I have with my team. I related to them and I also just felt comfortable in general. I wish my experience didn’t feel so short; towards the end I felt more connected to all of my fellow interns. Mariana Rojo, junior at Oak Creek High School I never really felt comfortable striking up conversations with people. I joined The BrandLab to learn more about marketing and to gain new skills. But I never would have thought I was going to learn how to interview someone. Working with News414 doing interviews has really helped me open up and feel more comfortable doing things that are out of my comfort zone. When I did my most recent interview with a former alderperson, I noticed how much more comfortable I was compared to the first time I had ever interviewed anyone. When I was first interviewing people, I was very nervous, forgetting what I needed to say. But when I interviewed the former alderperson, things flowed much better. I am glad I was able to gain more confidence when meeting and talking to new people. I have learned a lot of new things here from how to write a proper email to learning what an alderperson is and does. With Yodelpop I learned how to make social media posts that are engaging to the people who are going to see them. The BrandLab internship has not only helped me prepare for my future by teaching me money management and professional skills but also to grow as a person. I believe that The BrandLab’s mission of diversifying the marketing and communication industries in Milwaukee is very important because it will help people of color like me feel more represented so that they feel more motivated to work in these industries. I really enjoyed doing this internship and meeting all these amazing people. Astashia Wiley, graduate of Pathways High School Knowledge is power! One of the biggest reasons I applied to The BrandLab was because I wanted an opportunity to learn new information about a wide variety of things, and I knew The BrandLab would provide me with the experience I was looking for. I learned many new skills during my internship this summer, but the one that will stick with me is developing my elevator pitch.