Loop Intern Spotlight:
Melissa Rothenberg – Brandeis University Class of 2021
As a New Jersey native and growing up so close to TerraCycle headquarters in Trenton, TerraCycle is ingrained in the culture of my area. I vividly remember going into the (now closed) Princeton retail store and picking out recycled pencils and Capri Sun pouch lunch boxes for my upcoming school year, hoping that my upcycled school supplies would be the coolest.
About 10 years later, I was thrilled to find the internship opportunity with the Marketing team at Loop, run by parent company TerraCycle, for the summer of 2019. My experience with Loop and watching the platform come to fruition was so educational and exciting that I wanted to do it all over again, so I came back this summer.
Despite summer 2020 looking a little different than we all expected it to, I’m still learning and participating virtually as if nothing has changed…except maybe the awesome Snack Table experience at TCHQ!
Last summer, I joined the team a few weeks after its initial launch to the Mid-Atlantic US. This summer, I have had an active role in Loop’s nationwide expansion — what a change in only a year! I also focused my efforts this summer on developing the framework for a food recovery program. I was able to present my ideas on how Loop can best implement donating food that is about to experience on both a local and nationwide scale.
Through my experience with the Loop and TerraCycle teams, I have been able to explore marketing as a career while simultaneously gaining experience with team-building, customer service, public relations, and a startup company overall.
My advice to future TerraCycle and Loop interns is to take advantage of the opportunities to meet the incredible people that work for this company. If there is someone in a different department who has a similar experience or interest as you, absolutely reach out because I’m sure they’ll be more than willing to speak.
Also, all of the TerraCycle intern programs are a wonderful way to meet people so definitely attend whatever you can. My final piece of advice is that as an intern, it’s okay to not know what you want to do with your life! I certainly am not sure, but interning with Loop helped me get closer to figuring it out.
Loop has given me such an incredible opportunity to grow and gain industry knowledge, and two summers of experiences that I will never forget. I enjoyed my experiences so much that I will be rejoining the team this fall as a fellow!
We’ve wrapped up our first virtual internship program and we’re excited to share we’re preparing to kick off another!
Interested in joining us? Check-out full-time and internship positions at Loop & TerraCycle for the fall HERE.