Omar Faris

Internships can be a great way to get a taste of what dream job might look like a few years from now. Here, International Business Administration & Political Science student Omar Faris shares his experience working for the World LPG Association. His experience interning for the authoritative voice of the global LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) industry helped him deepen his understanding of the ways organizations and corporations work and how they use marketing and branding to connect with consumers.

Tell us a little bit about your background: where are you from and in which countries/cities have you lived?

I grew up in Ifrane, Morocco - a small quaint university town started by the King of Morocco. Over the course of my childhood, I attended school in Arabic, French, and English which have allowed me to excel in fluency in practically all of the aforementioned languages. I later moved to Dubai, UAE for a year in 2020 during the height of COVID-19 where I attended AUS virtually and worked/lived in Dubai. Recently, in September 2021 I moved to Paris, France where I am now studying at the American University of Paris.

Which company/organization are you currently interning with?

I am currently interning with the World LPG Association which is an organization that aims to promote and advocate for the use and distribution of LPG across the globe as a clean, economical, and realistic alternate fuel source that remains in line with the recent COP26 goals, and evermore so with recent fuel legislation and regulations in a multitude of countries

Where is your internship taking place? 

Paris, France

When is your internship taking place? 

Fall 2021

What is your job title?

Communications & Marketing Intern

What's a typical day for you like?

A typical day consisted of a team meeting, followed by some quick data analytics from various social media, websites, and publications. Following this, I would then help create digital pieces for upcoming events and more. During the internship, there was the LPG Week in Dubai wherein I helped design, create, and order various trophies for events, and design/print posters for one of the competition submissions. Other tasks included conducting content, data, and literature research for 30+ news stories and initiatives related to LPG alongside media research with 65 international media outlets wherein I helped develop the global contact database.

What are the biggest challenges and successes you’ve experienced during your internship?

The biggest challenge would be the deadlines as large events would approach, aka relying on other agencies to have everything fully submitted and more in time so my tasks would also be complete by necessary deadlines. The largest success experienced would be the support I provided during the LPG Week in Dubai wherein I took on a multitude of various tasks supporting team members, organizing speakers, and more.

What language(s) are you speaking/using in your internship?

My current internship required the use of English as well as French [with the occasional use of Arabic].

Tells us about your future goals/aspirations. Is this internship relevant? Do you think it will help you along the way? How?

I am looking to hopefully have a career in consulting [Strategy/Management], in either France, the UAE, Morocco, or the U.S. and my current experiences in various departments with various roles have allowed me to understand the entirety of businesses, how they operate, and the larger picture in overall. This internship has helped provide better insight into the need for organizations, corporations, and more to brand themselves and associate themselves with a specific mission/vision that connects with consumers and more.

Anything else to share?

The AUP Internship Office is extremely helpful in registering for internships, setting up, and is a great place for resources in general. Before arriving in Paris, I already had my internship set up and hit the ground running thanks to the ACE Center.