An organized mess
How I became the intern for Kwik Trip’s Twitter person
16-year-old me would be ecstatic to know I’m the digital marketing intern for Kwik Trip Inc.
I began working as a retail coworker for Kwik Trip when I was 16 years old. My step-dad was a regular guest at a store just down the road from where I lived and the store leader convinced him to push me to apply.
I can confidently say this was my first “real job” experience, as I don’t count Culver’s or a bowling alley attendant as a job (sorry, Culver’s).
I gained so many skills in working retail at Kwik Trip, anything from daily communication to customer service.
When I graduated high school and left for college at UW-Eau Claire, I took my first year to contemplate whether or not I wanted to transfer to a Kwik Trip store in Eau Claire. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to.
I worked at several different stores for about two years around Eau Claire and was promoted to be an Assistant Food Service Leader (AFSL) at the beginning of 2020.
As an AFSL, I was asked to transfer to the then brand new store on Water Street, you know, the one every college student basically lives at.
As I was nearing the end of my third year of college, I was frantically looking for some sort of internship to do before graduating. Fairly enough, a lot of the news organizations around Eau Claire weren’t offering internships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
So I bugged the Human Resources department of Kwik Trip for months. I was making constant phone calls and emails about possible internship opportunities and finally, I came across my dream internship: digital marketing.
Before I attended college, my parents planted the idea of working with Kwik Trip’s social media for experience since I’d already been employed at Kwik Trip for a couple years then. I owe a big thanks to my parents for that.
Long story short: I ended up missing the application deadline and thought all hope was lost, until my manager at the time convinced the marketing team I was worth an interview.
So I submitted my application and anxiously waited for a call.
Let me tell you, I got the call. I almost cried.
I faced three interviews — I got to skip the first one because I was already an employee for Kwik trip — and I was fangirling over the fact that Kwik Trip’s social media goddess was part of these interviews.
I was internally (and slightly externally) geeking. During my almost five years working for this company, I put my blood, sweat and tears into everything I did, and now I had the chance to be on the back end of things.
To everybody’s surprise — including my own — I got the internship. Almost immediately after I received the call telling me I got it, I took my Canon camera and did a photoshoot with a Kwik Trip sweatshirt on because I swear I’m their biggest fan.
My dream finally came true of getting to work with Kwik Trip’s social media specialist, Paige Forde, and the rest of the marketing team. To this day, I’ve done an ungodly amount of bad photoshop for organic content, answered thousands of comments and messages as Kwik Trip on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and met some pretty cool people along the way.
Not to mention, I may have started just a few Twitter wars with competitor gas stations … like Kum and Go and QuikTrip.
Don’t forget about TikTok, or as we call it, KwikTok. One time, I put hair rollers in my hair forgetting I was supposed to film a KwikTok and I was told to film it anyways. I couldn’t stop laughing, I just exposed myself to thousands of people on Kwik Trip’s TikTok.
I’ve gotten to participate in a couple merch launches, one of which the team and I dressed up as an old Kwik Trip merch catalog photo and remade it. I wore a wig to play the role of a man.
Last but not least, you may have seen some savage replies from Kwik Trip on Twitter or Instagram … Yes, that’s me.
Kwik Trip is a great company to work for and I wouldn’t trade my almost six years as an employee for anything.
Oh, I forgot to mention I have a Kwik Trip tattoo on my ankle.
Dirks can be reached at [email protected]
McKenna Dirks is a fourth-year journalism student and this is her seventh semester on The Spectator staff. She thrives under chaotic environments, loves plants and often gives off "granola girl" vibes with her Blundstone boots.
