Interning with AS- Behind the Scenes
By: Naomi Sanchez
It has been such an honor to work under the Austin Smiles mission not only because I’ve had the opportunity to learn about how to tell a story through a marketing lens but because I know that the work that I’ve done with this organization makes a difference in the lives of many children born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palete. During my time here, I’ve had the opportunity to work on the Austin Smiles social media pages which helps bring traction to their fundraising efforts like Miles on a Mission which is a partnership with Delta Airlines that takes care of flights for volunteers to Latin America. Additionally, I’m really proud to say that I was able to help the Austin Smiles team on their annual gala that raised about $440,000 for their 36th year that took place at the Oasis. More specifically, I was able to help create the program and media shown to guest during the bidding process and presentation portions of the gala. However, my favorite part of working with Austin Smiles was being able to help translate the interviews of the mothers conducted during the medical mission trips in Latin America.
Many of these interviews are posted on the Austin Smiles Youtube page which help contextualize the journey these mothers go through to get their child a life changing surgery. Additionally, these interviews are converted to promo videos which are later selected to be showcased at future Galas and fundraising events, so it means a lot to me that I’m able to aid Austin Smiles further their mission with this responsibility. When translating these videos, I get a deeper sense of the magnitude of impact Austin Smiles has on families in Latin America and I’m so proud that I have spent a semester working with an organization that changes the world one smile at a time.
Naomi Sanchez, Global Public Health Intern Fall 2022
The University of Texas at Austin