Sokari MacHarry ’21 is a marketing major with a digital media and journalism minor at the Barney School of Business. She started her for-credit program Internship with the University of Hartford’s Entrepreneurial Center and Women’s Business Center (EC) in spring 2020. After working for seven weeks, MacHarry and other interns were sent home due to COVID-19. Fortunately, she was able to continue the internship remotely. It has allowed her to do more research on certain topics and look for funding for small businesses, something she would have not done previously.
MacHarry is proud of doing research for a grant proposal, which the EC later received. She finds it interesting discovering new information in relation to how the EC was affected by the pandemic, and how much of an inconvenience the coronavirus caused. “However, I am not getting the whole experience of working in an office environment and participating in the events that we would normally hold at the center and bigger events such as the Matchmaker CT Event, which helps to connect businesses,” MacHarry says. “If anything, I am getting the best of both worlds, from working in the office setting for a few weeks and then now from home. That is an experience I do not think many have.”
MacHarry has learned that having the ability to be flexible in the workplace is key. “Working from home has both helped and hindered my job because I have to be more disciplined but I can work at my own time instead of a set time like in an office space.” She said.
Sokari MacHarry ’21, marketing major with a digital media and journalism minorThis internship has most definitely prepared me for the work challenges that could arise within any organization and how to remain positive in continued efforts to keep the business going in hard times.
MacHarry cannot wait to start the fall semester. She has recently added a minor in digital media and journalism. “I have always been interested in the media and I have worked with my mother on her show, Unveiling Africa, for about 10 years,” she explains. “It will be a great learning experience that will help me gain even more knowledge that I can apply to her show.”
MacHarry plans to start looking for a job in her field to get more hands-on experience and to figure out which area of marketing she would like to pursue. She will also decide whether to pursue a master’s degree immediately upon graduation—or later on down the road.
The Entrepreneurial Center & Women's Business Center is part of the University of Hartford's Barney School of Business.