Micro-Internship Experience: Sonia Shuster on her Marketing and Strategy Placement
Oxford University student Sonia Shuster completed a Marketing and Strategy micro-internship with Olga’s Fine Foods in the 2023 winter vacation, secured through our Micro-Internship Programme. In this interview, Sonia describes the project she worked on during her placement, shares her lasting impressions of the micro-internship, and offers advice for future micro-interns.
Olga's Fine Foods is a South Australian family-owned food manufacturing business run by Oxford University alumni Helen Ujvary (Masters in Chemical Engineering at Keble) and George Ujvary (DPhil in Physiology at Hertford College).
What project did you work on during your micro-internship?
My main role was researching the U.S. seasoning market to help Olga’s Fine Foods get into U.S. locations. It was challenging to come up with any singular plan, since every state and region of the U.S. offers a different potential market with a varying consumer base. However, I ultimately provided a report and two presentations containing a portfolio of potential strategic partners, an analysis of proposals for partners, an assessment of negotiation tactics for Olga’s Fine Foods to use in potential collaborations, a partnership selection criteria to maximise U.S. engagement, and a review of the competitive landscape.
I also ended up taking many pictures of the “Iconic BBQ” seasoning that Olga’s Fine Foods kindly sent me in front of various iconic NYC locations (I was doing the internship remotely from there), and filmed a cooking Instagram reel with the product. My manager was very flexible given the time difference (Adelaide and NYC have a 16 hour and 30 minute gap!), so I was able to get a lot of work done efficiently. I was ultimately very pleased to have made a contribution to this family business’ marketing and expansion strategies!
What are the lasting impressions of your micro-internship?
I really enjoyed pushing myself to take on exciting ad hoc projects that I was welcomed to join in on by Helen Ujvary, Chief Strategy Officer, my manager for the programme. One such moment led to a whole branch of research on marketing collaborations with strategic partners, and I gave input on negotiation points during a live deal. I also learned about the intricacies of breaking into a whole new market through my U.S. research, and honed my comprehensive final report-writing and presentation-making skills during the internship.
What advice would you give to future micro-interns?
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and chase after experiences you didn’t originally expect from your internship. If your manager is flexible, like mine was, then you should take advantage of the opportunity to build the internship around your skillset and interests. And, if you have the time, go above and beyond! It is always useful to make the most out of short internship placements, especially if they’re over a vac.
About the Micro-Internship Programme
The Micro-Internship Programme provides Oxford University students with short-term learning and development opportunities with organisations based in the UK and internationally. The programme offers a large volume of placements across a full range of sectors, taking place in each vacation period at the end of every Oxford term.
