When you think advertising, the Aflac duck, Progressives Flo and creatively brilliant Super Bowl ads may come to mind.Well two Southeast Missouri State University students are hoping to add their genius to that mix in the very near future. Peyton Mogley and Maggie Pike have joined a team traveling to different St. Louis advertising agencies this summer where they are taking on creative projects as a part of the St. Louis Advertising Club Internship Hop.I hope to make lasting business connections and friends, said Pike. I also hope to find which culture and field I fit in best.Mogley of Chesterfield, Missouri, is majoring in corporate communications and minoring in integrated marketing communications. Pike of St. Louis, Missouri, is a double major in public relations and global studies.They travel to a different agency each week to complete a project for one of their clients. Agencies on the Hop include Darling, H&L Partners, ITC, New Honor Society, Osborn Barr Communications, Rukus and Scorch. Every project is different, depending on the agency.Mogley is the account manager, while Pike serves as the social media/content writer for the team. The other roles on their team include a writer/photographer, an art director/designer and a strategist.The fact that everyone dabbles in different disciplines helps make our creative energy flow much smoother because we can assist one another if someone gets stuck on something, Mogley said. My teammates all have very quirky and enjoyable personalities as well, and it helps the days pass promptly because we are having fun and learning from each other simultaneously.This is the first year the St. Louis Advertising Club organized the internship hop.This is great for me because it is helping me find my niche and where I belong, said Pike. It takes people years to figure this out.Each week the team gets to meet the companys leadership, tour the agency, eat with mentors, build a presentation and present a project.Ive really enjoyed being able to work alongside a team of four in a fast-paced atmosphere where we get a proposal from a client on Monday and have a complete strategy and solution solved and ready to recommend by Friday, Mogley said.Pike found the internship through help from Southeasts Career Services, while Mogley learned about the opportunity through a friend employed in downtown St. Louis.I had a desire to send in my application for the St. Louis Ad Club Internship Hop for the terrific chance to work alongside individuals and agencies that have established their brand and have the chance to network and work on a team to create promising proposals and coordinate initiatives for clientele, Mogley said.This is a prime chance to interact with professionals as an undergraduate and I am hopeful that this internship will make the transition, from student to graduate seeking employment, a little easier by instilling within me the confidence I need to propel myself forward when I sentimentally send off from Southeast next spring, she said.Both Mogley and Pike say they enjoy the real-world experience, and making and building business connections and friends through the participating agencies.I very much liked shooting our own advertisement at Rukus, said Pike. I also really liked the experience of actually pitching in front of a real-life client for H&L Partners.That real-life client was the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station being developed at the National Historic Landmark train station in downtown St. Louis. Construction of the 65,000-square-foot aquarium, to be located in the former mall area of Union Station, will begin in the fall, with completion of the project anticipated in summer 2019. Lodging Hospitality Management is the owner of St. Louis Union Station that will house the multi-million-dollar attraction featuring a million gallons of water serving as home to thousands of aquatic species.Having a hand in that project is gratifying for Mogley and Pike, who are entering their senior year at Southeast, where Pike is a member of the Southeast womens soccer team and Mogley serves as Student Government president, among many other activities. During the coming year, they will continue their preparations for life after graduation from Southeast. Both say they plan on entering the workforce. In addition, Mogley is considering pursuing a graduate degree in higher education administration, while Pike may pursue graduate school after a couple of years.Both talented students will undoubtedly have many doors opened to them. We celebrate their will to do and look forward to both young ladies launching extraordinary careers!