A reflection by: Evan Johnson, Levitt at the Falls Marketing Intern

It’s weird to think that my time with Levitt at the Falls is nearing the end. I’ve been interning with Levitt since May of 2020, and the time has simultaneously flown by and stood still, thanks to COVID. When I applied to the Levitt marketing internship, prior to the pandemic, I was under the assumption that I would be helping out with social media and with the concerts. But when the pandemic struck, boy oh boy did everything change.

Companies everywhere were starting to cancel their summer internships. My friends, who had theirs lined up, were now left without a plan for the summer. And for myself? I was already banking on having a gap in my resume. But then in May, I got a call from Levitt offering the marketing internship position to me. I was ecstatic but also confused. How does a non-profit, who puts thousands of people on a lawn, going to have anything for me to do when concerts are cancelled?  But to my surprise, I was happily wrong.

Evan Johnson and Levitt staff
Now as it comes time to reflect on my experience of being Levitt’s first intern, and hopefully last virtual intern, I have compiled a list of takeaways I have gathered over this past year.

  • Mission Number One: Levitt at the Falls may just seem like the non-profit that puts on free concerts, but that is not what they truly do. The Levitt brings people together. People who would not normally get together, now have a common gathering place. The music is secondary and is used as the vehicle to get the Levitt closer to their mission of building community through music.
  • The People: The group at Levitt – Nancy, Tom, Laura and Rose Ann – are the best there could have been for a first internship. This group lives and breathes the mission of the Levitt and truly cares about each person that they come across. It’s going to be hard to find another group like this one in my future endeavors.
  • Notes, Notes, Notes: With the number of key dates, deadlines and other activities it is impossible to remember them all. Taking notes during meetings and having a planner is what saved me.
  • I am NOT a designer: This Levitt internship has taught me a lot about what I want to do, but it has also taught me what I don’t want to do. Design is one of those. Yes, I can do it, and can do a mediocre job, but don’t have high expectations. Luckily, about the most designing I had to do was with the occasional social media post. A special shout out to Canva for simplifying it for me.
  • The Power of the Pen: One skill that I greatly improved on this past year has been writing. Whether it was coming up with a captivating caption for a social media post, or an email that needed to be sent out, I have enhanced my ability to articulate my words.

I can’t say thank you enough to the people of Levitt at the Falls. They have made my first internship a memorable one. Being an intern at Levitt, you are a part of the team. You aren’t going to be running around picking up their coffee orders. You will be a part of the team and help contribute to Levitt’s mission. If you are looking for your first internship, or even just a place to volunteer, please do yourself a favor and check out Levitt at the Falls.

Evan at Levitt In Your Neighborhood event
Evan Johnson running
Evan Johnson is an MBA student and track/cross country athlete at Augustana University who served as Levitt at the Falls Marketing Intern from spring of 2020-spring of 2021.  Evan was Levitt at the Falls’ first intern.  We are grateful for his support in our pivoted 2020 activities and his help to prepare for the launch of the 2021 summer season of free concerts.