College internship success story: Victoria Whyte
In the mid 2000s, I wrote a series of college internship success stories describing how eight recent college graduates leveraged their college internships into full-time jobs. In 2024, I decided it would be fun to revisit these stories and see how the internships set the stage for their future career development. Much of their career advice is relevant for remote-first careers.
From PR and Social Media Intern to Account Director
Victoria, what college did you attend?
University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada
Where did you complete an internship?
Ludus Tours, Vancouver Office
How did you find/land your internship?
I found the Ludus Tours internship listed on UBC's Business School's career website. Ludus Tours specializes in tour packages and hospitality at the world's biggest cultural and sporting events. They offer travel packages to the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, World Cup and Oktoberfest, to name a few.
From the second the interview started, Jessica, one of the co-founders, and I hit it off. I love to travel and I am passionate about sports, so the company was a perfect fit! After a second meeting where I met the Vancouver team, they hired me.
What type of work did you do during your internship?
I joined the team before the Vancouver Winter Games, which at the time were about eight months away. I was one of the few locals that worked for the company, so I worked closely with those planning excursions, dinners, and activities that highlighted Vancouver and Whistler.
I found and signed a clothing sponsor, did venue and various location management, guided staffing, and provided customer service—ensuring that what the customer wanted, and what they paid for, was what they received.
What was one significant thing you learned about working during your internship?
Network, network, network! Other than passion for the events, it is the relationships in the industry that made Ludus Tours a successful business. Networking was something that was preached to us in school. I was never comfortable in those situations and often avoided them. But witnessing how essential networking and building relationships with other industry professionals was in the "real world," I had to overcome my fear.
How did your internship lead to a job offer?
I worked with Ludus as an intern throughout the summer of 2009. In September 2009, I registered for my last year at the University and Ludus offered me a paid part-time position so I could stay with the company while I was in school. As a thank you for the summer work, they sent me to Germany to help run the 2009 Oktoberfest tour.
During the Olympics in February 2010, the UBC university was closed and I could work full time during the Winter Olympics. I continued my role as Event Manager, and I handled all the hotel and tour confirmations. I also attended around 15 Olympic events during that time.
Following the Olympics, I took a couple of months off to focus on and finish school. In June 2011, I graduated and accepted a full-time position as the PR and Social Media Manager of Ludus Tours. I have since been told that I was hired over others for the full-time position because "I was the best fit." I love the events Ludus runs, and I live and breathe our core values.
This summer I spent July in Spain helping to organize our Running of the Bulls Tour. I was also in Spain when they won the World Cup!
I just returned from Germany, where I spent a month helping run our Oktoberfest and Passion Play program.
Any words of wisdom you would like to share with current college students?
Having a job while in school more than doubles your workload, but the experiences, both positive and negative, are invaluable. Whether you land a position out of an internship, or you don’t, the value on your resume and the real world knowledge will serve you far better than any textbook you will read.
Victoria, thank you for sharing your experience and advice.
Update in 2024:
Victoria Whyte is now Account Director at Toolbox Design.
