By Kimberly Weemhoff

Catawba College

SALISBURY — For Madalyn Liefert of Concord, a part-time job helped her to find an internship right up her lane. Madalyn, a current senior at Catawba, interned with NASCAR Racing Experience located in Concord. Through her part-time job at the Speedpark, she was able to work with park owners to find an opportunity to gain experience in marketing, which ultimately led to this internship.

Although Madalyn finished her internship at the end of November, the skills and experiences were ones that she will be able to carry for much longer.

“I got to work with the V.P. of Marketing, as well as a few others, on social media campaigns and event planning throughout my time there. I dealt with real world clients and planned real time events so they were very real experiences, which was great,” she said.

For Madalyn, her internship provided her the opportunity for growth and also to gain real world experience in realizing that no work day looks the same.

Madalyn spoke about how her tasks changed and evolved during her time at the internship.

“Initially, I thought I would be doing more with the NASCAR Racing Experience, helping with the merger; they just acquired, Richard Petty Driving Experience. While I did do a bit with that, I mostly was doing a lot with the winter/holiday marketing plans for the Speedpark,” she said.

Through the changes and experiences at her internship, Madalyn was able to learn more about what she wants in a future career.

“I discovered that I hate working at a desk, and that I love event planning and coordinating more than I realized. So, even though it changed a bit from the start, I learned a lot about myself and what I can do,” she said.

Being a senior, Madalyn had a few words of advice to impart to those looking for internships of their own.

“Take the internship and get some experience. Even if it isn’t what you want, or you don’t feel like you would be interested in that particular area, you can at the least learn what you don’t want to do and find out more about what you do want to do,” she said.

Madalyn learned what many find out once they graduate from college: No work day looks the same, and each experience is an opportunity to grow and realize what you would like to do in a future career.

Madalyn will continue working her part-time job with the Speedpark as she finishes her time at Catawba, so while her internship may be complete, she continues to enhance her skills.