Summer Internship Spotlight: Ryon Henderson, (B’22): Google

Each year, our students spend their summers in Washington, D.C., across the nation, and around the world working in corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations. Meet a few of our graduate and undergraduate students in our 2021 Summer Internship Spotlight series.

Ryon Henderson, (B’22)

BOLD Intern, Google

Tell us about your summer.

This summer I joined the Google BOLD program as an Associate Product Marketing Management (APMM) intern. Throughout my 12 weeks, I assisted the Android strategy and operations team with developing go-to-market and branding strategies for upcoming product launches. I also worked with the YouTube Music Artist & Industry Marketing team to gather insights for 2022 commercial planning. 

How did your internship relate to your professional or personal interests?

This summer, I intended to expose myself to the world of Big Tech. Previously, I completed many internships in the media and entertainment industry, with Nickelodeon being the most recent. During my time at Nick, I realized that I wanted to find my way to the intersection of tech and entertainment. I interned at ViacomCBS during the height of the “streaming wars,” through which I learned that many legacy media brands are increasingly adopting innovative tech, and many tech companies are increasing the content they develop on their platform. My Google internship offered me exposure to the other side of this industry trend. 

How did you find the internship?

I learned about this internship through my peers at Georgetown that completed the program and were converted into full-time employees. Additionally, I was recruited for the program through a professional organization called Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). 

What’s the most interesting or impactful thing you did or worked on?

The most exciting project I worked on this summer was my YouTube Music “passion project.” During the summer, the Artist & Industry Marketing Team hoped to find new ways to attract songwriters and publishers to the platform. Achieving this goal required speaking with numerous songwriters and music executives to understand their core needs and how YouTube Music could authentically meet them. In addition to my interest in the actual product, I found this project very interesting because it redefined how I think about B2B marketing. 

Was your internship adjusted because of COVID-19? 

Normally, the internship would be in-person and based in Google’s offices in Silicon Valley. However, my internship was remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What did a typical day look like?

A typical day of my internship involved doing independent work in the morning and attending team meetings, agency reviews, and professional development events in the afternoon. 

Any advice for other students?

The best advice I can give other students is what’s for you will never miss you, and what misses you was never for you. 

When I received my acceptance to the 2021 Google BOLD Program, I couldn’t believe it. I applied to this program many times in the past and received just as many rejections. I couldn’t understand what I had done to be in the company of the other phenomenal interns in my cohort. However, I quickly realized that there’s no such thing as being in a room where you don’t belong. Your mere existence in the room justifies your presence, despite anything that’s happened in the past.

In the end, everything happening to you is also happening for you.