Written by our Fall Creative Intern Thomas Mariani.
This fall has provided Schifino Lee with a set of interns with diverse skills, interests, and future goals. As the fall session ends, it seems like the perfect time to highlight the extremely talented, energetic interns that helped make the agency’s recent success possible.
Will Vargas | Media Intern
Will, a UF graduate with a BS in advertising, was raised here in Tampa. He has been working on SEM campaigns for our clients and utilizing his skills to master both traditional and digital mediums in terms of planning and buying. Ideally, he would like to use his multi-faceted talents to land a gig as a “hybrid worker” for one of the local agencies.
Pareesa Al-Ansari Khwaja | Creative Intern
Pareesa is about as diligent a designer as you can imagine. A native of the east coast of Florida, she’s a senior at USF who’s dedicated to the world of advertising. A major part of what makes Schifino Lee so great for her is “… whenever the opportunity arises to teach us something new, they don’t hesitate to bring us along and guide us though it while still utilizing our talents to our full extent.” This spring, Pareesa will be graduating from USF and hopes her intern experience has helped prepare her for a role as a graphic designer at a major firm in Tampa Bay.
Courtney Holliday | Account Service Intern
Courtney is a junior at USF, double majoring in Advertising and Sociology. Courtney originally hales from Philadelphia and has a passion for snowboarding, rollerblading and any type of water sports – all with a GoPro strapped to her head. Yet, one of her most enjoyable activities has been tackling the various challenges of an account service intern. Once she wraps up at USF, Courtney hopes to pursue a career as an account exec for a large ad firm in LA.
Kelsea Fowler | Creative Intern
A senior at Florida Southern College, Kelsey was first indoctrinated into the ad business by her father, who runs local audio production company, Sound Asylum. Kelsea has contributed her writing skills to various Schifino Lee clients, including Alessi and Lowry Park Zoo. Her goal after graduating? Getting paid to do the thing she truly loves. We have a sneaking suspicion that will soon come true.
Lexi Dannemiller | Account Service Intern
Lexi’s journey is a bit more circuitous than our other interns. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in psychology, but found herself drawn to Tampa Bay to focus on a career in advertising instead. Always willing to contribute, Lexi loves the thrill of working at a competitive place like Schifino Lee. Fortunately, one of Schifino Lee’s clients recognized Lexi’s enthusiasm and skills, and has hired her on as part of the marketing team for Franchise Edge. Congrats, Lexi!
Thomas Mariani | Creative Intern
Thomas is yet another Tampa native on our team, having graduated from Florida State University earlier this year. Though he’s interned at multiple advertising agencies and for media-centered websites, none of them have the type of camaraderie on display at Schifino Lee. “People love to say they have that kind of kinship, but this is one of the rare places where everyone feels genuinely helpful, courteous and fun.” Following his internship, Thomas plans to get a job in entertainment exhibition or marketing, specifically for films and television.
Lissette Deza | Account Service Intern
A senior at USF, Lissette has actually been interning for Schifino Lee since July. One of her proudest moments involved client Ashley Nation’s big Twister Event. After going all over USF to promote it, she took great pride in seeing so many happy attendees make it a huge success. After graduating this semester, Lissette is aiming for an account service job at an ad firm in New York or LA. We like that big league ambition.
