In-depth with the Think Big i-Team: Mariah Rittel

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Mariah Rittel, one of our two social media interns:

NAME: Mariah Rittel
FAVORITE COLOR: “Right now it’s coral, but it used to be red.”

FACEBOOK OR TWITTER?: “Facebook is for creepin’ and Twitter is for ranting”

WORDS TO DESCRIBE MARIAH: loyal and positive

MISSION STATEMENT: “I learn and I gain knowledge for without it, I would be nothing. I feel and gain emotion for without it, I would not be human. I know what I want, where I'm going, and where I am, but there are possibilities that all of that will change. And I will welcome those possibilities as they come.”

Mariah is a native North Dakotan (Bismarck to be exact). She grew up constantly playing soccer. But Mariah is so much more than just a soccer jock. Mariah got her start in marketing back in high school where she was involved in DECA. She got 2^nd place in the state DECA competition and moved on to the nationals in California. Talk about an awesome field trip!

After high school, Mariah packed up her things and moved to Kansas City. She planned to go to school for music production, but soon found out she didn’t much care for music theory. Her favorite part, however, was promoting the music and bands. She didn’t want to leave KC because she loved the atmosphere of the “big city, but not too big”. She researched programs and decided to transfer to UMKC where she is currently a junior.

Mariah is an active member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority at UMKC.  Last year she was the social chair and she was in charge of PR marketing for Greek Week. Now, Mariah is on the programming committee within Alpha Sigma Alpha. “I love it because it keeps me focused and we give back to the community”, said Mariah when asked what her favorite part about being in the sorority is. One of the service activities she enjoys most is Girls on the Run, where she said, “We run with younger girls and motivate them while keeping healthy”. She not only likes helping the community, she also likes going to concerts. “I listen to the radio a lot, so I like pop. But I’ve also started getting into country music,” said Mariah, “that’s why I love Hot Country Nights so much.”

Mariah is a social media intern this summer at Think Big Partners. She got involved with social media during her last internship with Vive Media. Mariah thinks social media “is a great way to interact with people and it’s great for businesses to become more personable”.

In the next five years, Mariah would love to be working in social media for a Kansas City-based company, or in sports marketing for a soccer team. “Maybe even social media for a soccer team!” she says. Sounds like the best of both worlds!

Mariah’s favorite part of Think Big Partners is meeting all sorts of different people and learning from them. She really enjoys the atmosphere of the coworking space. The hardest thing about this internship so far is the transition from creative writing to business-like writing. She said she has “had to change some things” about her writing style.

How does Mariah Think Big? “I think big by dreaming big”.