Student Lands Internship Managing Social Media for Potter Fan Site
Thursday, December 17, 2015
A senior marketing student at Pennsylvania College of Technology was selected as an intern for a fan site that is known as the world’s No. 1 “Harry Potter” website.
As a social media intern for MuggleNet, Jessica R. Wiegand, a student in business administration: marketing concentration, joins a social media staff of 19. She’s works on MuggleNet’s Facebook page, creating content, monitoring comments, interacting with fans and, she says, “spreading the magic of ‘Harry Potter.’”
Jessica R. Wiegand
MuggleNet’s page on Facebook touts more than 330,000 likes, giving Wiegand’s work a worldwide audience as she learns what it takes to create and manage social media campaigns that go viral.
A 16-year fan of the “Harry Potter” series, Wiegand, of Trout Run, was ecstatic to learn she had earned one of MuggleNet’s coveted internship spots.
“When submitting applications, we were warned upfront that MuggleNet received hundreds of applications for its internships,” Wiegand said. “So when I received the email congratulating me that I had made the cut and my first Skype meeting was to be later that week, I was in complete shock. I mean for a ‘Harry Potter’ fan, this email from MuggleNet was the equivalent of receiving your acceptance letter from Hogwarts.”
Wiegand, who plans to pursue a digital marketing career that focuses on social media for business, feels well prepared for the three-month internship.
“I give a lot of credit to my Social Media in Business and Society class,” Wiegand said. “Ms. (Valerie M.) Reynolds (part-time instructor of Web and interactive media) was always assigning hands-on projects that proved the importance of really creating a connection with your social media followers.”
When told that she and other interns can post what they want, she felt initially intimidated.
“But knowing that my Penn College classes prepared me with the skills needed to be successful at marketing was reassuring,” she said. “As my college career comes to an end, I think the most important lesson learned was taught in every single one of my classes, by all my professors, and it was that no matter where your career takes you, it’s important to have the confidence to trust your instincts.”
Wiegand, who plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in May, was named a Student of the Month at Penn College. She is a member of the Wildcat cross-country team and the Blue Crew campus-pride organization, and works part time in the college’s Student Activities Office. She’s also a member of College Women of Williamsport, the college’s Judicial Council, Student Government Association and Off-Campus Housing Organization.
She was introduced to “Harry Potter” at age 7, when her grandmother bought her “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
“From ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’ to ‘Deathly Hallows,’ I have fond memories of finding any spot – sitting high in a tree, under a table, on the coziest chair – to submerge myself in Harry’s world,” Wiegand says in her MuggleNet bio. “I love the series most because the features that make the characters heroes aren’t their magical traits, but their human ones.”
To learn more about business majors at Penn College, call 570-327-4505.
For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education and workforce development, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
As a social media intern for MuggleNet, Jessica R. Wiegand, a student in business administration: marketing concentration, joins a social media staff of 19. She’s works on MuggleNet’s Facebook page, creating content, monitoring comments, interacting with fans and, she says, “spreading the magic of ‘Harry Potter.’”
Jessica R. WiegandMuggleNet’s page on Facebook touts more than 330,000 likes, giving Wiegand’s work a worldwide audience as she learns what it takes to create and manage social media campaigns that go viral.
A 16-year fan of the “Harry Potter” series, Wiegand, of Trout Run, was ecstatic to learn she had earned one of MuggleNet’s coveted internship spots.
“When submitting applications, we were warned upfront that MuggleNet received hundreds of applications for its internships,” Wiegand said. “So when I received the email congratulating me that I had made the cut and my first Skype meeting was to be later that week, I was in complete shock. I mean for a ‘Harry Potter’ fan, this email from MuggleNet was the equivalent of receiving your acceptance letter from Hogwarts.”
Wiegand, who plans to pursue a digital marketing career that focuses on social media for business, feels well prepared for the three-month internship.
“I give a lot of credit to my Social Media in Business and Society class,” Wiegand said. “Ms. (Valerie M.) Reynolds (part-time instructor of Web and interactive media) was always assigning hands-on projects that proved the importance of really creating a connection with your social media followers.”
When told that she and other interns can post what they want, she felt initially intimidated.
“But knowing that my Penn College classes prepared me with the skills needed to be successful at marketing was reassuring,” she said. “As my college career comes to an end, I think the most important lesson learned was taught in every single one of my classes, by all my professors, and it was that no matter where your career takes you, it’s important to have the confidence to trust your instincts.”
Wiegand, who plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in May, was named a Student of the Month at Penn College. She is a member of the Wildcat cross-country team and the Blue Crew campus-pride organization, and works part time in the college’s Student Activities Office. She’s also a member of College Women of Williamsport, the college’s Judicial Council, Student Government Association and Off-Campus Housing Organization.
She was introduced to “Harry Potter” at age 7, when her grandmother bought her “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
“From ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’ to ‘Deathly Hallows,’ I have fond memories of finding any spot – sitting high in a tree, under a table, on the coziest chair – to submerge myself in Harry’s world,” Wiegand says in her MuggleNet bio. “I love the series most because the features that make the characters heroes aren’t their magical traits, but their human ones.”
To learn more about business majors at Penn College, call 570-327-4505.
For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education and workforce development, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.