You've got i-mail: Samantha Vidas

Feature on Samantha Vidas for "You've got i-mail!"

Our i-mail series will feature internships COMM students have had and what they've learned from their experiences. 

During the Summer of 2024, COMM student Samantha Vidas had an internship with the Comptroller's Office of Maryland. 

Samantha heard about the internship through UMD Handshake and also applied through this platform. It lasted for the Summer of 2024, June 3 to August 21.

Vidas learned new skills and was able to apply her background in communication to her work at the Comptroller's Office. She "saw a lot of intersections between communication and management," as managers used communication strategies to stay updated on projects and receive feedback from co-workers. She also "gained experience communicating with people of different management styles." Vidas wrote reports (including a script on how to use the Revenue Administration Division for Maryland income tax), created infographics, worked on live training sessions, and gained technical experience with Microsoft Suite, especially PowerPoint and Teams.

Vidas' internship allowed her to connect with leaders in the state of Maryland and see how agencies work together: "I saw how various parts of the Comptroller's Office of Maryland keep up with each other, from the fuel testing lab in Jessup to the Field Enforcement Officers traveling throughout Maryland to the hustling Revenue Administration Division. I completed tours of sites important to Maryland's history, spoke with Comptroller Lierman on several occasions, and got an up-close view at how our State leadership enacts legislation."

Vidas also learned about company culture, the importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone, and fitting into a 9-5 rhythm. Connection with co-workers, management style, and meeting agendas made a "significant difference" in her connection with work and the employee experience. 

Overall, Vidas states that her position showed "how people at all levels of the Agency navigate their days and responsibilities, the importance of a sense of purpose and identity in the workplace, the processes by which government executes its duties, and how to maintain an outward mindset even through all of this."

Congrats on your internship and thanks for sharing your work with us, Samantha!