Wanting to develop a strong, relatable social media presence for its senior living communities, Avanti Senior Living is proud to announce its first intern, Taylor DePierri. She brings a fresh, young perspective to engagement with adult children and their senior parents. The purpose of the internship is to give college students majoring in communications the opportunity to work with various demographics and develop creative content and strategies for maximizing interactions with targeted clients. Avanti’s team members have embraced DePierri’s ideas and are excited to help her flourish and grow in her new role.
“Taylor has a fresh perspective and enthusiastic attitude, which is invigorating to fellow team members and our residents,” said Lori Alford, COO of Avanti Senior Living. “She serves at our corporate office for our communities in Cypress and Shenandoah. She began in mid-June and we are thrilled to work with her this summer. Internships help students learn and build a foundation for future endeavors in the workforce. We are strong advocates of embracing all ideas, and we believe in supporting the next generation of leaders in our industry. Our hope for Taylor is that she learns the ins and outs of senior living, our messaging, our goals and how our brand is differentiated, then uses that knowledge and her scholastic lessons to apply it to social media. Her ideas and attitude have been much appreciated thus far.”
DePierri was selected by Alford for the first internship position. She has been trained to run social media pages, expand followers, write creative blog posts, keep all accounts updated and work alongside graphic designers for content and imagery. She is also responsible for the company’s internal newsletter, as well as brainstorming new ways to engage adult children and seniors in Houston. Avanti prides itself on its innovative use of technology through customized tablets for residents, as well as its tech-savvy approach to amenities and healthcare tools.
“I have had a wonderful experience so far, as everyone has been welcoming and approachable,” said DePierri. “I am so privileged to work with the residents in addition to the team members at the Towne Lake community. I talk to them about their lives, their interests, their social media usage and views on technology. It has been fascinating and extremely helpful. The stereotype surrounding seniors is that they are not tech savvy or social media savvy and are uninterested in becoming acquainted with it, but that is simply not the case. These seniors want to learn, or already know a lot. Many have emails and social media accounts they use to keep in touch with family. I speak with them regularly to find out what they think is interesting, what their favorite social media accounts are and how they use them. This will help me create appealing content to keep them engaged and spread the word to other people just like them. I didn’t know working with seniors would be so fun!”
DePierri finds the internship intriguing since her background is marketing and graphic design. She is immersing herself in her internship with the senior living community in the hopes of attaining a true understanding of how important social media is for companies like Avanti Senior Living. She is having fun exploring her talents, and she is enjoying bridging the generation gaps through her internship. Many of the residents have become like family to her. Not only is she learning more about marketing and social media, she is gaining a better understanding of life through the residents’ advice, lessons and stories.
“I have always had respect for seniors, but this internship has taught me to look at them as my peers and counselors,” said DePierri. “They have taught me how best to treat other people, how to maximize the time we have been given in our lives, how to enjoy every moment and make the best of each situation, as well as the importance of having fun with what we do. Avanti has taught me how businesses operate and what client-side-communications work entails. In addition, I am learning business etiquette, how to work with different people and interact with different personalities, ways to relate with varying demographics and work styles, and the importance of thinking outside of the box to become a differetiator in the marketplace. Avanti Senior Living is an amazing company, and it is helping me grow, learn and determine if this is what I want to do with my degree. So far, I am enjoying every aspect of it!”