The Kairos Group LLC

The Kairos Group LLC — Chesapeake, VA

The Kairos Group LLC is a management and consulting company based in Chesapeake, VA, that works with and supports several different businesses. One of those companies is Gateway Services LLC, where I was stationed during my time with the organization.

I worked about 12 hours a week and had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of projects, including marketing, event planning, and social media analytics. What I enjoyed most was that no two shifts were exactly the same. There was always a new task, project, or challenge waiting for me, which gave me the chance to learn something new and build on my skills.

The experience definitely came with some pressure. I could feel the stress of approaching deadlines and wanting to make sure my work was done well. At the same time, there was something really rewarding about seeing a project come together and knowing that I had played a part in making it happen. I experienced both the pressure that comes with responsibility and the excitement that comes with accomplishment, and that balance made my time with The Kairos Group and Gateway Services a valuable learning experience.

How has your internship experience shaped your views of your major and/or your career aspirations or plans?

My internship experience gave me a better understanding of how my major connects to the real world. Before my internship, I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t completely sure what career path I wanted to take. Working with Gateway Services LLC allowed me to gain hands-on experience in marketing, event planning, and social media analytics. I realized that I enjoy work that allows me to be creative while also staying organized and meeting deadlines. I also learned that I like having different tasks to work on rather than doing the same thing every day. The pressure of deadlines could be stressful, but it was rewarding when I saw my hard work pay off. This experience helped me become more confident in my abilities and my career interests. I became more interested in careers involving marketing and social media. I also found that event planning was something I enjoyed and would like to explore further. The internship introduced me to roles such as marketing coordinator, social media specialist, and event coordinator. It showed me that there are more career options available to me than I originally thought. Overall, this experience helped me better understand what I enjoy and what I want to pursue after graduation.

What new knowledge, skills, and abilities did you gain by completing this experience?

During my internship, I gained hands-on experience with marketing, event planning, social media analytics, and time management. I helped with marketing projects, assisted with events, and looked at social media analytics to see how content was performing. Since every shift brought a new task, I learned how to adapt quickly and manage my time. I also became more comfortable working independently, communicating with others, and meeting deadlines. One of the biggest things I learned was how important it is to stay organized and pay attention to the small details. I think the skills I gained in communication, organization, creativity, and adaptability will be the most useful in my future career. Overall, this experience gave me more confidence and helped me see how the skills I’m learning in school can be used in a real workplace.

One of the main assignments I had was to figure out how to heighten the engagements as well as the following of the channel via Facebook & Instagram, which analytics can be seen on the right.

I also was asked to create a mock floor plan for a new building that the company was going to acquire. This was one of the biggest deadlines of the internship because I also got to present it to the board for final approval. I was able to use a 3D model simulator that I learned at ODU.

Analytics and Data of the social media growth. Left photo is analytics from May 2026 and the photo on the right are the analytics from August 2026

New Building Floor Plan that included another business that is managed by The Kairos Group. This floor plan would be slated for a community center (confidential)

The Future

What’s next for you professionally?

Honestly, I’m not completely sure what’s next for me, and I’m okay with that. The Kairos Group did offer me a full-time position helping with social media and public relations, which gives me a chance to keep learning and gaining experience. I don’t necessarily see it as where I’ll stay forever, but I think it’s a good place for me to grow and figure out what I want to do long-term.

How will you prepare based on what you learned?

I plan to keep learning and taking advantage of the opportunities I have now. Through my current employment, I’ve been paired with a mentor who is teaching me more about credentialing and the policies that happen behind the scenes. I’m going to ask questions, learn from her experience, and continue building my communication, organization, and professional skills.

What advice would you give future interns?

My biggest advice is to be open to everything and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Every shift brought something different, so being flexible was important. Even if a task seems small, take it seriously because you can learn something from it. I’d also recommend building relationships with the people around you and taking advantage of having professionals there to learn from. Most importantly, don’t just focus on completing your hours—focus on leaving with skills and experiences you can actually use.

Part II- Connecting To
Career-Readiness Competencies

Communication

One situation that really helped me improve my communication skills happened while I was helping with event planning. I was given a task to help prepare for an upcoming event, but I was not completely sure what the expectations were or how certain parts were supposed to be handled. My first instinct was to try to figure everything out myself because I did not want to seem like I did not know what I was doing. I quickly realized that guessing could create more problems than simply asking for clarification. I started asking more specific questions about what needed to be completed, what the deadline was, and what the final result was supposed to look like. As I worked through the task, I also communicated when I had finished certain parts so the people I was working with knew where things stood. That experience taught me that communication in the workplace is not just about being able to talk to people. It is also about listening, asking questions, giving updates, and making sure everyone understands what is happening. Now, I feel much more comfortable speaking up when I need clarification instead of being afraid that asking a question will make me look inexperienced.

Professionalism

One of the biggest lessons I learned about professionalism came from dealing with deadlines and unexpected tasks. Because I only worked around 12 hours a week, I had to make sure I used my time wisely. There were shifts when I would come in expecting to work on one project, only to find out that something else needed my attention first. I remember the feeling of looking at everything that needed to be completed and knowing I had a limited amount of time to get it done. It was stressful because I wanted my work to be done correctly, not just quickly. Instead of panicking, I started figuring out what needed to be handled first and what could wait. I learned to break larger tasks into smaller steps and focus on one thing at a time. Once I finished the task and could actually see the results of my work, the stress was replaced by a feeling of accomplishment. That experience showed me that professionalism is more than simply showing up to work. It is being reliable, responsible, prepared, and able to handle pressure when things do not go exactly as planned. Those are skills I know I will need regardless of what career I choose. The overall culture of the company also evoked my desire to be professional from the way that I spoke to the way that I did my hair and wore my clothes.

Career & Self-Development

My internship also helped me learn more about myself and what I may want to do professionally. One area that surprised me was social media analytics. I had the opportunity to look at how social media content was performing and think about what the numbers meant for the business. Instead of just posting something and moving on, I started paying attention to which content received more engagement and thinking about why certain posts might perform better than others. That experience made me realize that I enjoy work where I can combine creativity with problem-solving. I liked being able to look at something, see how it was performing, and think about what could be done differently. It also made me more interested in social media and public relations as possible career paths. That interest eventually led to The Kairos Group offering me a full-time position assisting with social media and public relations. I do not necessarily see this as the place where I will stay for my entire career, but I see it as an opportunity to continue learning while I figure out what direction I want to take. I have also been given a mentor who is teaching me about credentialing and the policies that happen behind the scenes. This has been especially valuable because I am now learning about parts of the business that I did not get to see during my internship.