Riddhi Agarwal_Sri Lanka_Go Global Impact Report

My name is Ridhi Agarwal.

I am 21 years old.

I am from Kolkata.

I study at Manipal University.

I went to Sri Lanka for an AIESEC internship.

Project Spectrum in association with Ribelz About RIBELZ E-Marketing Agency – RIBELZ was initiated in 2007 as a small business initiative to address the focus for marketing, branding in the web development industry. They provide Internet marketing services, Web marketing services, Social Media Marketing, Web application development, Website designing, etc.

Job Description – I was training under the Social Media Marketing Department. My job description was as follows: [Subject to employer’s requirement]  Business Planning and Market research  Feasibility Analysis  Product Development  Plan Presentation

Impact Generated – I worked in the Social Media Marketing Division at Ribelz in the fields of marketing and advertising and prepared plans and strategies for their various clients. For my traineeship I was required to study about marketing processes in the various social media websites. It gave me a great exposure to this new and revolutionary marketing world and gave me a lot of experience in this field. My co-intern, a marketing graduate from Belgium helped me a lot during my study period. I mainly worked with the local office staff and they were always talking about India and it felt very much like home.

I was successful in obtaining two new clients for the company and prepared online and offline marketing strategies for 3 brands (of dairy products and clothing).

My co-workers admired the ease and speed with which I came up with new ideas for campaigns and marketing strategies for our prospective clients. I myself made 2 presentations to one of the top dairy products company in Sri Lanka. It was an overwhelming but fulfilling experience.

My Internship Experience It was my first international trip without my family or a supervised group. I have travelled to many places alone but this experience was frightening and enriching at the same time. There was no one who could understand Hindi and sometimes there were people who didn’t understand English.

They say that Sri Lankans are like Indians, but I disagree. They are way more humble and helpful than we are. One episode which changed something inside me was when I was planning to crossing the road. I saw a car coming at a moderate speed. As he saw me crossing, the drive stopped and waved his had to let me pass. Later I learnt that this was a normal practice. No matter how late they were, they would always allow someone to pass. A simple gesture like that had a great impression on me.

I worked with interns from Belgium, Germany, different parts of India and many Sri Lankans. The network I grew was unexpected as I am now connected to those people who could really help me grow professionally in the future. I made good relations with the clients of my employer and also with my colleagues. I also received an invitation to work with a company in Sri Lanka.

The Buddhist culture in Sri Lanka wasn’t a surprise to me, but the connection of the Sri Lankan mythology to our Hindu scriptures and the differences in both really intrigued me. It left me with one conclusion- Every opinion counts and to maintain good relations and harmony between any two countries, one needs to have a global mindset and clear sense of acceptance. The AIESEC internship made me more aware of the situation in the country and I realized that we only read of the major world issues in the newspapers but many smaller issues go unnoticed until you actually live them. Seeing the fear of the LTT in them, I realized that there was some unrest in the country. I decided to stay more aware of what is happening around the world.This internship also helped me realize what potential I had and how I could use it in the above mentioned fields.

Skills Developed Strategy Development Business Analysis Sales and Product Development Marketing and Advertising Social Media Marketing Presentation and Communication Skills I would like to thank AIESEC for giving me the opportunity to look at the world from a perspective different from that of a tourist. This internship gave me glance of what the professional world looks like and confidence to venture out and make a mark for myself.

You too can have an international internship experience.

Logo onto www.aiesec.in to know more or register at www.aiesec.in/join-aiesec.