Hey y’all, I’m Amy Erkes (Erkes like circus, I know it’s a hard one to pronounce) and I am one of the new digital marketing interns at Red Shark Digital. I was lucky enough to grow up on the coast in Wilmington, NC. Even though I love the beach, I did not want to stay in the same town for college so I decided to move to Greenville to attend East Carolina University. I am currently a senior and will graduate in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing.

Growing up I never really knew that I wanted to do. My first semester at ECU I was actually an intended nursing major, but when I realized that I passed out at the sight of blood I knew that I had to change majors. I then decided that I wanted to pursue a degree in Business, Marketing. I realized even though I no longer wanted to be a nurse that my passion still lied in helping people and since I have had a quirky knack for business, even a kid, I figured that the appropriate path to take was one that would have me interacting with people on an everyday basis. I know when you think of business, marketing majors or the industry itself that your first thought is not “wow look at them helping all those people”, but throughout my experiences growing up, I realized it actually is. When I was only 13 years old my best friend and I started a nonprofit, Knots for a Need, where we made and sold macramé bracelets to raise money for Duke Children’s Miracle Network; consequently, raising well over $1,500 in less than a year. I mean without good marketing and key brand identity many of the amazing organizations and business that are changing our world as we know it would not exist. So, with that being said during the second semester of my freshman year I officially changed my major, and the rest is history.

In my free time, when I’m not in class, studying or here at Red Shark Digital, I enjoy spending time with my golden retriever puppy, Bentley. He is 10 months old and oddly the best thing that has happened to me in my 21 years of life. I’m also an avid Netflix watcher and always enjoy suggestions on new shows to watch (by the way, if you haven’t started Black Mirror I highly recommend it). Another fun fact about me is that I am double jointed in both of my arms and as a result of this I am one of the 1% of people that can lick their elbows (and yes, I am strangely proud of this). I am also a member of Delta Zeta Sorority and I love being involved on campus and in the Greenville community.

On a more serious note, I previously had an internship in sales and marketing with ADP. During the course of that internship I was able to learn many valuable skills, but my desire to learn more about the industry, specifically digital marketing, is what drove me to apply for the internship here at Red Shark Digital. I am beyond excited to be able to further my marketing competences during the course of my internship, and I cannot wait to see what this semester has in store for me!

Cheers,

Amy Erkes

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