Cattie Li and Caroline Young are marketing and communications interns at Madison House. As their time at UVA comes to a close, they reflect on their work at Madison House the past few years and offer useful words of wisdom to students looking to get the most out of their undergraduate experience.

Cattie started working at Madison House as a work study student in January of her first year. “I started out doing admin stuff, like sitting at the front desk, answering phone calls, and sorting through files. Then COVID-19 happened and it became harder to do that work remotely,” she explains. She was able to shift roles to assist with Madison House communications during the pandemic, which highlighted her excellent writing and analytical skills. Following the pandemic, she stayed in communications as a blog writer, website editor, and social media analyst.

“I had a lot of opportunities to get in touch with my creative side,” says Cattie. For example, she revamped the organization of the overview of programs on the Madison House website from an outdated and more complicated version. 

Caroline, on the other hand, found her position at Madison House through the University’s Internship Placement Program. She had selected Madison House as a potential interest and was matched there. Caroline reflects, “I was really excited to have been placed there because it is such an active part of the UVA community and you get to learn about Charlottesville. The breadth of experiences that are encompassed under the Madison House umbrella is what really got me interested.” 

When Caroline began designing and distributing the volunteer newsletter, her creative skills were apparent. She subsequently expanded her role as content creator, conducting interviews and writing blog features. In addition, she took photographs at various special events. 

Both fourth years also spent time at Madison House as program volunteers. “My first year I worked in medical services and volunteered at the cancer clinic. I did not work with the patients directly, but I worked with health education. We sorted pamphlets and helped people get the knowledge they needed. My second year, I worked with a tutoring program,” explains Cattie. Caroline volunteered as a tutor as well. She recalls, “As a first-year student, I volunteered with Cavs in the Classroom and then with one of the garden programs.”

Working as marketing and communications interns have taught the fourth years valuable knowledge they will carry past their time at UVA. Caroline elaborates, saying, “I have learned valuable interview skills and how to speak with people at different life stages than myself. I have also learned how to work across multiple teams, such as being a point of contact for the volunteer newsletter where I am talking with a lot of people and synthesizing a lot of information.” After graduation, Caroline will relocate to New York to work as a Growth Marketing Analyst for Ampush, a leading growth marketing agency.

Cattie will be returning to her home in Florida to work as a clinical assistant at a dermatology office for two years before applying to medical school. She believes that Madison House has taught her how to talk to people in a professional setting and conduct effective interviews, as well as inspire her to get in touch with the broader community wherever she goes. 

As the soon-to-be-alumnae reflect on their time at UVA, they advise younger students to get involved with Madison House. “I think a lot of people can get overwhelmed with how many options there are, so don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if you have no idea what it is going to be like, don’t be afraid to try it. It doesn’t mean you need to do that for the rest of your life,” says Cattie. 

Similarly, Caroline reminds students to seek out the broader UVA community, explaining, “You can see what life outside of UVA is like and what goes on in Charlottesville. I think it is pretty easy to get wrapped up in the UVA bubble—it’s fun and awesome to be around people your own age—but there are so many other things and issues going on that we don’t know about.” She summarizes, “It is definitely valuable to get involved with a program at Madison House.”

Author: Cecilia Murphy