This four-part series spotlights four Syracuse University students during their summer internships — part 4 of 4.

She originally wanted to intern in New York City this summer, which didn’t happen.

But little did Katie Cranley know she would land a paid, money saving internship that she loves in her hometown of Boston.

Cranley, a senior communications design major, is a creative boutique intern at Rue La La, an invite-only retail website that has timed sales (or “boutiques”) with discounted, high-end merchandise.

Her daily tasks include designing Web layouts for content featured on the website, like many of the “boutique” and “event” displays the consumer sees upon logging in. Her design ideas need to be approved by at least five different people, she estimated, but she likes seeing how much work, energy, attention and detail go into projects at Rue La La.

“The process that goes into getting those events to the consumer is pretty unbelievable,” Cranley said.

She said she loves being able to apply her design skills in a retail environment. She even had a similar internship with clothing store Anthropologie during a previous summer.

In her initial interview with Rue La La, Cranley was asked if she had ever purchased something from the site — what it was and to talk about what she liked about the item. Cranley said she belongs to all sorts of discounted retailer websites similar to Rue La La, like Gilt, but never really uses them.

That didn’t stop them from hiring her.

“I think that I had a lot in common with what they were looking for,” she said. “(They are) a very energetic, motivated group of people, (and are) all so enthusiastic in the work that they do.”

Cranley said that “everyone is excited to be at work” — herself included.

Described by Cranley as a gorgeous, lofty, two-story brick building, the Boston-based Rue La La headquarters is a happy and fun place to work. There are 12 interns in departments across the board at the Boston office. The company also has offices in the states of New York and Kentucky.

She said the company cares about the happiness of its employees. It offers things like “bagel Fridays,” intern events and paid community service days where employees are encouraged to go out and do something for the community.

“It’s been extremely rewarding and I never expected to gain the experience that I’ve gotten, and I never expected to actually enjoy going to work nine-to-five every day,” Cranley said.

Even Cranley’s mother, Tracy, has seen her daughter learn about the “day-in and day-out of a nine-to-five job.”

“There can be slow times that leave you feeling bored, and then there are those intense moments where you can feel so much pressure. I think she figured out how to deal with both situations and everything in between over the course of her 10 weeks there,” her mother said.

Cranley said her dream job is to be a creative director for Kate Spade. However, she admitted that if Rue La La were to ever offer her a job, she would take it in a heartbeat.

“I really look forward to being in the office, (which is) never something I expected to like,” she said.

Aside from the office environment, Cranley really liked the buddy system that is in place at Rue La La.

At the beginning of the summer, all interns are assigned a “buddy.” On the first day of the internship, buddies take their interns out to lunch to learn his or her goals and aspirations, no matter how far in the future those goals might be.

Cranley was assigned to Tiffany McMeen, a junior designer on the boutique team for Rue La La who focuses on building boutique assets for the website.

“She just wanted to learn it all, because it’s hard to know what you’re going to love and what your passion is while you’re learning it,” McMeen said.

McMeen learned of what Cranley wanted out of her college experience, what she was looking for after college and what her design niche was.

“With an interest in everything, you’re sort of able to absorb it all,” she said.

McMeen said Cranley is very positive, and it was this positivity that “sort of really brought her into our Rue family.” Even when working on less exciting projects, McMeen said Cranley does what she needs to with a smile on her face, and “always asks for more.” McMeen added that Cranley works very hard.

Chantelle Davis-Gray, Rue La La lead designer, said that Cranley shows both patience and determination in the company’s fast-paced environment and has demonstrated a strong commitment and work ethic.

“Katie has assimilated to the Rue culture very well. She shows a good balance of work and play. She’s been willing to come in early or stay late when needed, but also joined in the fun when we have birthday celebrations with champagne and brownies,” Davis-Gray said.

McMeen said that many times, Rue La La hires summer interns for full-time positions. She hopes that Cranley makes it back to their office someday.

Said McMeen: “We don’t know what we’re going to do without her, honestly.”

Published on August 10, 2013 at 1:55 am

Contact Allie: ajcaren@syr.edu