USA Today Network | Washington, D.C.

During the summer of 2019, I had the incredible opportunity to live in Washington, DC and work for USA Today. As a digital designer on the consumer marketing team, my responsibilities included:

• Developing data visualizations and infographics for the data science and analytics team.

• Compiling and designing a comprehensive deck for a major data-science initiative on the habits of the 1st 100 days of USA Today subscribers and its impact on retention. These insights were shared with managers across the business in Product, Editorial, and Marketing departments. It was also presented at the CXNYC Conference by USA Today’s VP of Customer Experience and Insights.

• Collaborating with data scientists and data analysts within the USA Today consumer marketing team to assist in data storytelling. This included analyzing data to create actionable insights/data visualizations for the data science team to report out to internal teams.

• Working with fellow interns to report on current media trends, the USA Today digital UX, and how our generation consumes news.

• Providing ongoing support to the Customer Experience Strategy team in partnering with cross-functional teams from USA Today including product, customer service, marketing, ad solutions, and editorial.

But ten weeks working with this team just wasn’t enough time. Since I spearheaded the first design role on the data science team, there was still a lot of work to do. I was lucky to be given the opportunity to stay on the team until November 2020, still working on data visualizations and helping the data science team with their storytelling efforts.

Working for USA Today gave me the chance to feel the excitement of a big company, but work with a relatively small team. I walked away from the experience with insight on what makes a good team member, how to effectively allocate time for projects, and how to collaborate on projects. This was a one-of-a-kind internship that allowed me to grow individually in my skills, but also as a professional. I took on big responsibilities, such as living on my own in a big city, meeting deadlines, working with supervisors and bosses, and figuring out public transportation!

One of the most valuable parts of this internship was learning how to collaborate with fellow interns on the marketing team to report on USA Today trends and presenting out to our Chief Marketing Officer, Andy Yost, and the entire marketing team. I gained public speaking and presentation skills, and got over my fear of speaking to large crowds.

Most importantly, I learned the value of data storytelling and how it’s not simply data visualization, analytics reporting, or a handful of statistics sitting in a PowerPoint somewhere. Data storytelling is the blending of two worlds: hard data and human communication. It’s a compelling narrative crafted around and anchored by compelling data, and I’m excited to be a part of USA Today’s efforts to engage in data storytelling.

Work Samples: