Tessah Curtis was an intern for FFA & Zeta. She is currently studying at Seattle University with a major in Communication and Media and a minor in Creative Writing.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
I was born and raised in Northern California, particularly the Sacramento area. Growing up, I knew I always wanted to move to a big city, and thought college was the perfect opportunity. I had dreamed of places like New York or Boston but realized how far away I’d be from my family, so I found Seattle and fell in love with it. I started at Seattle University in 2017 as a pre-business major and stumbled upon my current major after taking a core curriculum class.
How was your life impacted by COVID-19?
Obviously, like most, my classes moved online for Spring Quarter. While most people went back home because of this, I decided to stay on campus. I went from living with three other girls in a four-bedroom apartment to just me in there. My family is two states away and my best friend lives an hour away, so it was a little lonely to be all by myself. This time really taught me to be grateful for my health and learn to take a pause sometimes. Without this situation, however, I might not be a part of this internship program, which I am eternally grateful for.
Tell us about the company you interned for and what you worked on.
I worked part-time for FFA, writing blog posts like this one, and doing other marketing work. The other half of the time, I worked for Zeta, a personal finance app and resource for couples. There, I worked on social media, so I built out content on Instagram and Pinterest, video edited for IGTV and Youtube, and brainstormed ways to make sharing content more seamless.
Has there been a certain project or experience during your internship that you would like to share?
One of the posts we share weekly for Zeta social media is #couplecrush Saturdays. This means I got to spend two days researching celebrity couples and details about their relationships. Like did you know Serena Williams wore $3.5 million worth of jewelry in her wedding to Alexis Ohanian? One of the most rewarding parts of my internship is getting to work with the Zeta founder and CEO, Aditi Shekar. She is so welcoming and really gives me the freedom to explore different fields of interest to make sure I’m getting the most out of my experience.
What are some goals for a future career?
In the future, I hope to probably go into the PR/Marketing fields particularly focusing on social media. I’ve always had a big interest in influencer marketing so hopefully, I’ll eventually find something along the lines of that, but I am really open to any opportunities that come my way.
Who are your role models/ inspires you? Why?
One of my biggest role models is my mom. She has always worked a full-time job but still made sure she was always present for me and my siblings. She showed me what it means to be hardworking, along with empathetic and caring. Growing up, I was taught to never say “I can’t” and not to quit on things, it was those lessons that brought me to be the person I am today and I hope that one day, I can be half as amazing as my mom is.
What do you consider your superpower?
My empathy! It helps me be able to understand things from everyone’s perspective and be a better problem solver. Some of the people in my life joke sometimes that I’m too empathetic because I get sad when people kill spiders and I begin a vegetarian after watching a dinosaur die in a Jurassic Park movie.
