#TeamOneTouch – Hi, I’m Mataya!

We asked Mataya, what she’s learned in her first 9 months as an Intern with OneTouch Events…and here’s what she had to say!

My first Nine months Interning at OneTouch Events has been nothing short of a blessing. Nine months ago I started a journey I never thought I would be on, a little excitement but mostly uncertainty is all I felt on my first day at OneTouch events as the new Intern. Would I like this? What would I learn being apart of this internship? Would I get to be apart of the events or just be in the background? These were just a few of the millions of questions I had, that would be answered in the upcoming months.

If you asked me a year ago  if I thought I would ever be apart of the events industry I would have dismissed the idea. Being a Biology major in college at the time, it was no where on my radar. After changing my major and finding a passion for planning events, I really wanted to find an internship that was hands on so I could see if the events industry was truly for me. Being an Intern at OneTouch Events I have not only gotten to aid in planning the events, I get to have personal experiences with clients and help bring their wishes to life on event day. Today I have worked on multiple social events, weddings and corporate events, and I even got to travel. One of my favorite things about planning events at OneTouch is that I learn new things, and no two events are ever the same. So not only am I getting new experiences on the job, it never stops growing and it never gets boring.

My biggest takeaways from the last nine months would be that the events industry is not for the weak and it will challenge you in ways I never thought possible.

Before my interview for the internship, Jillian sent me an email with  instructions to reflect on why I wanted to be part of the events industry and to be aware that there was more to planning an event than most people realized and she was right! It can be long hours, a lot of time management and tedious planning but it is the most amazing and rewarding feeling to watch everything come together on event day. There are not many jobs where you get to see your personal impact right away.

My second biggest take away would be to never underestimate your role in any setting.

In the first few months of my internship I made the mistake of saying that I was “just an intern” and I was quickly reminded by Val and Jillian of the importance of my role and to never downplay my position. That small moment has really changed not only how I handle every event going forward but taught me to change how I view myself and my actions in any task I decide to take part in. It also made me feel apart of a team that valued my impact no matter how small.

The personal growth I have  experienced during the last 9 months is what has surprised me the most. I came in expecting to learn all things events, but I have emerged learning so much more than. Through this internship I have learned  how to use technological tools I never used before, I am learning how to handle different situations and think fast on my feet.

As I continue on this journey, I hope to grow as an event planner, and to keep learning and expanding my knowledge of events and my personal growth.

My time at OneTouch Events has not only dismissed my uncertainty, it has answered a lot of questions I had and put to rest any fears I have going into the future, I truly enjoy event planning and being apart of the OneTouch team.