Asteroid Day Community Member Spotlight – Katie Young
Asteroid Day Community Member Spotlight – Katie Young https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/16165614/katie-1.jpeg 512 388 Asteroid Day https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/16165614/katie-1.jpeg
Katie Young at Asteroid Day LIVE 2019. Photo credit: Vio Dudau
Katie Young went to Luxembourg in June of 2019 after graduating and spent a month there working with the Asteroid Day team on video production and social media. She’s now located in Breckenridge, Colorado where she is the Senior Marketing Content Specialist overseeing Keystone Resort and Breckenridge Resort. In this Asteroid Day Community Member Spotlight, we asked Katie about her internship experience and how it influenced her career path.
Katie, how did you hear about the opportunity to get involved with Asteroid Day?
I was approached by one of my professors in college at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He thought I would be a good fit for the internship and helped set everything up.
What were some of the roles you held while interning for Asteroid Day?
During the month in Luxembourg leading up to Asteroid Day LIVE, I assisted Grig Richters, Asteroid Day Co-founder, in creating and editing the video segments used during the live production, helped produce the social media plan for the month to gain an audience, assisted in some light website/WordPress edits, and worked in the broadcast van during the Live show with the media team.
What were some of the new skills you picked up?
I learned so much in the internship that lead to a job with the Asteroid Day/B612 team. The biggest would be WordPress blogs and website design. Use of Asana, Salesforce, extensive spreadsheets, live production organization, graphic design, and working with a small team were all valuable tools I used after the internship as well.
Katie with Asteroid Day Crew 2019. Photo credit: Vio Dudau
What is your favourite part about the internship as a whole?
The entire experience was so different from anything I’ve ever done. It was my first time in Europe and so seeing a new aspect of the world was interesting! During AD LIVE it was awesome to work in the broadcast truck and see just how many people it takes to operate the backend of production – from cutting to different camera angles, switching to pre-programmed segments, and being able to listen to all of the speakers while behind the scenes (not to mention it was the only air-conditioned spot in the city during a heat wave). The Gala was gorgeous and I have to give a shoutout to all of Luxembourg’s architecture in general as it was all so beautiful and elegant!
Asteroid Day Co-Founders & Crew, Gala dinner, 2019. Photo credit: Vio Dudau
What person did you meet during your time with Asteroid Day that inspired you and why?
The person that stuck out to me was Patrick Michel. He has been an Asteroid Day speaker every year if I can recall and he always speaks with such excitement and gratitude to the science. It really draws you in to listen!
How did the experience with Asteroid Day impact you personally and professionally?
My month in Luxembourg led to a job with Asteroid Day which I had for a couple of years following the internship and in turn, helped me gain experience for my career path and future. Getting a job in your desired career field is something that can be difficult these days, and I will always be happy I got the opportunity to work with the AD team.
Would you recommend interning for Asteroid Day?
I would! There’s a lot of hands-on experience you can receive while working alongside scientists, astrophysicists, space enthusiasts, and a solid team.
