American International College Graduate Jeremy Antivo Enjoying a Star Spangled Summer as Intern with Spirit of Springfield

2016 Aug 1

Rahway, NJ native Jeremy Antivo barely had his diploma in hand from American International College (AIC) in May when he began an internship with the Spirit of Springfield, a private, non-profit corporation that produces high-quality, large-scale events in the city of Springfield. Spirit of Springfield's mission is to promote community events and encourage civic pride.

Producing numerous major events throughout the year with a full-time staff of only four people, President Judy Matt believes in giving interns significant responsibility and a lot of opportunity. Matt tapped Antivo to work closely with Social Media Coordinator Bridget Delaney to broaden Spirit of Springfield's social media presence in an effort to reach younger audiences.

Immediately after graduation, Antivo was "thrown right in" to the Spirit of Springfield Golf Classic held at Franconia Golf Course followed by the Star Spangled Springfield event, a multi-layered celebration at Riverfront Park on July 4. "He's learned by osmosis what it takes to put on these events," says Matt.

Matt's mentoring style includes providing interns with opportunities often reserved for seasoned employees. She asked Antivo to share his social media expertise and ideas for event marketing with the organization's board members at a recent meeting. According to Matt, "Jeremy was able to explain social media strategy exceptionally well. His knowledge of the product and confidence in his presentation gave him the ability to impart information in an understandable manner to our board members."

In addition, during his time with Spirit of Springfield, Antivo has also been able to meet and interact with community leaders including the police and fire commissioners and the mayor. For Antivo, the internship has provided real-world experience. "I'm learning about how great these opportunities are as well as learning how social media impacts marketing and advertising," he said.

Matt believes that the role of an intern includes assisting others in the community where one can. In addition to his responsibilities at Spirit of Springfield, Antivo has also been working with other local business owners to assist with social media strategies to help grow their online presence.

In assessing the newly minted AIC graduate's progress midway through his internship, Matt says of Antivo, "He's really a superstar!"