Hello, Hatchlings! My name is Taylor Roberts and I am so excited to be Hatch’s new, social media intern!
Hatch is so important to me because I believe that it is a great, local business that will help the community of Wake Forest grow into even bigger and better things! I’ve lived in downtown Wake Forest for almost all of my life. When I was three-years-old, my parents decided to move here from Atlanta, Georgia and I’m so grateful that they gave me the opportunity to grow up in such a supportive community.
I have attended Franklin Academy since Kindergarten and I will be graduating this upcoming June. My school has impacted my life in so many ways that I never dreamed possible. I found my passions and interest while attending Franklin Academy and I’ve been lucky enough to have some very influential teachers. When I was in tenth grade, I took a public speaking class taught by Ms. Janene Schneider. Throughout that class, I found my love for communications. I’ve always been known as a “social butterfly”, but never really took the title too seriously. When I found out that there were actual degrees in communications, I knew that I had to learn more about it. Ms. Schneider helped me discover so much about communications and really had me become more interested in it.
I knew that I wanted to study communications, but my junior year had so much more in store for me. I became involved with a business club called DECA. This club is for young, aspiring entrepreneurs. The club teaches high schoolers how to be professional and get ready for the business world. My DECA advisor and current teacher, Lenny Fairfield, opened my eyes to the business world. After learning more and more about business, he saw that I did a great job with social media and advertisement. After a year in DECA, I was elected Vice President for my senior year. My job involves campaigning, advertising, running social media accounts and making sure that DECA members are on their best behavior. As a DECA member, our club expects the students to be professional 24/7, especially when on social media. Mr. Fairfield has taught me a lot about how social media ties in with business. I even take a class called “Social Media Marketing” with him this year. That’s where my involvement with Hatch comes in.
I decided to also sign up for the Internship class that Mr. Fairfield offers at my school. It is a class where students are able to find an internship in what they want to pursue after high school. Mr. Fairfield really pushed me to do something with social media advertisement and I was on board! We looked around at different businesses, but I really wanted to do something that was close to home. I knew that Wake Forest was filled with local business owners, but I had no idea that I could actually become apart of one. One day during class, Mr. Fairfield told me that he had spoken to Liz Johnson about a possible social media internship with her new co-working business, Hatch. I was so excited when I heard this because everyone at our school knows the Johnson’s. Liz is a Franklin Academy grad who I’ve known of forever. Whether it was seeing her working at Herb Fest or setting up holiday decor at the Cotton Company, Liz was extremely involved with the community.
Luckily, I was able to land this internship with Hatch! Not only does Hatch offer expertise in what I’m interested in, but it incorporates community values. In my opinion, the best outcome that you can receive from co-working is growth. Businesses look to Hatch for help to grow. Just like Wake Forest has grown, Hatch helps businesses grow. Hatch is a great place for the community to grow even more and I think that’s why I love it so much. I’m very proud to have grown up in downtown Wake Forest and be able to witness all of the incredible change. As I end my last year living in this town, I am fortunate enough to do so while working with Hatch.