Resonant Technologies Group, Sausalito, CA
It goes without saying that this summer was unlike any other. After three months of isolation at home with remote classes, the 
commencement of my internship was a welcome change of pace. I was a summer intern at Resonant Technologies Group, an investment accelerator based in San Francisco. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we decided that it would be best for me to work remotely.
For most of the summer my job was to help create and design packaging for Sourcewave’s products (wearable health products that help to treat common health issues). I began this process by doing market research on health stores, apothecaries, and department stores to learn about the competition and find inspiring packaging ideas. Once I had an idea for our packaging, I would communicate my idea to the graphic designer, who would then bring it to life. Once we were happy with the graphics, we moved to text. The text had to be concise, accurate, catchy, and physically appealing. I found working with a graphic designer to be interesting, because I had to be extremely clear in my descriptions of what I wanted him to try out. I had also never tried writing about health products before, and I wound up learning a lot about the field and the different language that comes with it. Working over Zoom was also a good experience, since it allowed me to acclimate to virtual communication, which is becoming more prevalent than ever.
As a sociology major with an interest in documentary work, my summer internship may seem out of left field, but I learned a lot of skills that I believe will help me with every project I pursue. For starters, I learned to begin with observation: check out what other people are doing and learn from it. I practiced visually collaborating with a completely different mindset. And lastly, I watched as my supervisor took on every part of the project. He handled everything from office finances to sales pitches and would even come back from the grocery store with candy packages or chip bags that he found visually interesting. He knew about every single part of the project and always had new ideas to try out, which I found really interesting, since my previous supervisors have typically been only interested in their sliver of the office.
It was inspiring to have a supervisor who wanted to be a part of the entire process, and who constantly had new ideas and encouraged everyone else to, as well. This quality is one I would like to bring to every project I take on, no matter the field. By understanding the whole process and everyone involved in it, you come up with collaborative ideas that might not otherwise come to fruition. Thus, I had an awesome summer interning at RTG, both because it was a wonderful work environment and because I picked up a lot of skills that will serve me well in the future. I would like to thank Dr. Pierre Wong ’80 and the ’68 Center for Career Exploration for generously making this internship possible for me to take on.
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