My Experience Interning With Rad Sister
The first time I met Natalie Gates was in the Spring 2021 Social Media Week my college, St. John Fisher, hosted over Zoom. She presented her story in a group with a few other speakers. I remember being so interested in her career path, which included many different job titles that spanned from her graduating from St. John Fisher College in 2018, to living in New York, Florida, Colorado, and even Africa. I was so inspired by Natalie and wanted to learn so much more about her. However, as the school year got busy, I lost track of time and never had the opportunity to further connect with her.
Fast forward to this past summer, I was seeking a media and communication internship. After countless frustrating interviews with no responses, I was giving up hope. Until one day, I was told to look into the company Rad Sister. As I went to the website, the first thing I saw was a picture of Natalie Gates. With Natalie being a Fisher Alumni, I was recommended to reach out to her by the Department of Media and Communication. I have now been an intern for her business, Rad Sister, for the past three months.
Rad Sister is a feminist, sustainable clothing company that Natalie founded independently in 2020. Her goal was to create a brand that not only empowers women but also brings them together. All of Rad Sister’s products are eco-friendly and made from fair-trade cotton. In addition to helping the environment, Rad Sister strives to help the community as well. A percentage of the proceeds are donated to different organizations, based on the product you buy. Overall, I was extremely excited to be a part of a company that strives to make a difference.
Over the course of my internship, my roles spread widely across the field of media and communication. I did everything from content creation, writing blogs, making TikToks, designing logos, pitching local newspapers, SEO research, and more. With everything I did, Natalie acted as a mentor, guiding me along the way, but also allowed me to be creative. She practically gave me free rein over every project I did. There were always guidelines set of what to do, but I was able to craft everything independently, which I enjoyed. The internship was a mutualistic relationship. Natalie taught me many skills along the way, like the use of content calendars and business pitches, while I showed her the power of TikTok and Printful. In the end, we both benefitted from my semester interning.
After completing the internship with Rad Sister, I have a greater appreciation for entrepreneurs. It is really impressive to see how far the company has come while being independently run by Natalie. On top of having a career of her own, this is just what she does for fun! For someone who wants to empower women and change the world, Natalie is certainly a great role model to her followers. I am so grateful to have worked with her for the past few months and to have been a part of Rad Sister.