Blog - The DSM Group

Meet Rachel "Shooter" Soodsma: One of Our New Interns

Written by Rachel | 5:27 PM on February 4, 2015

Hey, hey, hey! I’m Rachel and according to T-Swift you could say that I’m feelin’ 22 and mostly shake everything off. I’m 100% Dutch and come from a very large, loving family. Yes, it’s true what they (we) say, “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much.” As one of the new, obviously cool, interns here at The DSM Group I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but after being here a few short but sweet weeks, I’m positive I made the right decision. 

Me….

In my mind, life was always about being the best at what you’re doing and achieving the most. Eventually I stopped caring about what I thought people expected of me and decided to do what I wanted. I live by the motto, “Don’t worry, be happy” and it’s true, once I stopped worrying about what I thought I needed to accomplish and focused on what I wanted, I was happy. 

I am currently a public relations major finishing up my last semester at William Paterson University. It’s been quite a journey since graduating high school and to be honest, I never thought I’d be where I am now. I started my college career as a prospective Biology major, and it only took me one semester to figure out that was not what I wanted to do.

I know you’re probably wondering how I went from a bio major to wanting to do PR, truth is I have no idea! After I changed my focus I started dabbling in different fields that I thought were interesting. Somehow I ended up in Public Relations and I love, love, love it!

Growing up I was a true 90s chick. I rocked the pigtails courtesy of Britney Spears and lip-synced numerous catchy songs by The Backstreet Boys, Nsync and every other boy band known to screaming little girls.

I wasted my afternoons and weekends watching cartoons on Nickelodeon and hopping around the driveway on my pogo-stick. (I’ve mastered over 1,000 hops, so if anyone wants to have a hop-off I’m happy to accept your challenge) I played multiple sports such as basketball, softball and soccer, but eventually quit all of them to pursue tennis. (Mainly because I got to wear a dress). I’m super competitive and am always determined to win, even if it’s a simple game of go-fish. 

All Grown Up

Now that I’m considered an official adult it’s about that time I enter into the real world (In 4 months when graduation occurs). I first heard about The DSM Group from my friend Kailee (who also happens to be interning here) when we were planning ideas for the internship fair at our school. I was curious to see what the agency was about so I basically stalked their website.

It was AWESOME. No joke, I couldn’t get off the site I was so impressed. I needed to find out more about their agency, I NEEDED to work here. I submitted my resume and it was go-time. I interviewed and once they offered me the internship I didn’t even hesitate, I accepted and was ready to start this new journey.

I had no idea what to expect when I first walked through the door, but I’m learning a ton and am so excited to see what this semester is going to entail. The team here is amazing and I’m so thrilled I have the opportunity to work with such talented and fun individuals!