A fulfilling internship in digital marketing helped this student cement her future career plans, she has revealed.
Nathalia Almeida recently graduated from Liverpool Hope University with a First Class degree in Media and Communication.
And during her second and final years, the 21-year-old was lucky enough to secure a long-term internship working within the social media and marketing department at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
The opportunity came via Hope’s dedicated Careers & Employability team, who provide placements for students, as well as offering one-to-one careers advice.
While Nathalia, 21, admits she’s not ‘a religious person’, working with an institution so rooted in the community provided valuable experience - not least during a global pandemic when the Cathedral took on even more importance for a great many people.
Nathalia, originally from Brazil, explains: “The part-time internship at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral was a brilliant experience.
“What I came to realise was that the Cathedral website and social media channels attract so many people from all walks of life, from the congregation to those who just love photography and architecture.
“It was about striking the right tone, through channels like Instagram, to ensure that no-one felt excluded. And being able to engage with new people and grow the Cathedral’s media following was really great.”
When Nathalia first joined the team, she says the Cathedral had around a thousand followers on Instagram. They now have close to 5,000.
Nathalia explains: “I started the internship in November 2019 and, of course, the pandemic began just a few months later. And because of Covid-19, engagement with the Cathedral significantly increased.
“We had online events, we had masses broadcast online, and we had photography campaigns where people could send us their own images of the Cathedral throughout history.
“And as much as we could, we tried to use the Cathedral’s website and social media channels to help people during the crisis. For some, the only sociable thing they used to do before the pandemic was go to church on a Sunday - and that was taken away from them.
“I feel like the visual world we created in its place was really useful to many people.”
Nathalia says the internship not only helped her to ‘see religion through the eyes of others’ but it also gave her vital skills when it came to working as a team.
She adds: “I may hold different views to the Cathedral, but I never felt judged. It’s a great community. And I can see how the Cathedral helps so many people around the world, not just in Liverpool. It was really eye-opening.
“It was also nice to meet individuals who I might not necessarily meet in normal life, and it also gave me renewed confidence in my abilities.”
Nathalia is now looking to study for a Master’s degree in Translation and Interpreting, and she’s looking forward to her Graduation ceremony at Hope in the coming weeks.
Katie Lucas, of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, said: “Nathalia played a huge part in transforming our digital communications throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
“Her level of commitment, throughout the challenges of lockdown, was outstanding.
Nathalia approached her role with energy and creativity. She brought a fresh perspective to our organisation, which really helped to broaden our communications activity.
“Nathalia’s placement was a fantastic example of the benefits of internships, both to the individual and to the wider organisation.”
For more information about the Careers and Employability at Liverpool Hope University, head .