Week 1: Introduction

My name is Natalie Cascario. I’m a rising junior at Wake majoring in Psychology with minors in Neuroscience and Communication.

While growing up, I was always mystified by my peers who already had a clear idea of what they wanted to be when they grew up: a doctor, an astronaut, a teacher… When asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, I have always drawn a blank. I pictured myself doing many things from the childish dream of becoming a movie star to an anesthesiologist, but nothing stuck. Picking just one field when I had so many interests seemed an impossible task, and I was half convinced I would end up homeless living in a van by a river, still unable to pick a career path. Thankfully, I no longer think that’s the case. Throughout my time at Wake, I’ve discovered an interest in branding and marketing, an interest that I’m hoping will someday develop into a full-fledged career.

I know what you’re thinking. “This introduction is interesting and all, but what’s the point?” Don’t worry, I’m getting to it.

Next Monday I will be starting an 8-week long internship at Addison Whitney, a global branding firm headquartered in Charlotte, NC. I will be working with the verbal branding team. Over this summer, I hope to learn more about verbal branding as well as branding and marketing in general. I also hope that this internship will teach me more about the professional world and how to conduct myself in an office setting. My main goals for the summer are to determine whether or not the branding/marketing field is truly my passion and to create strong networking connections at Addison Whitney.