TikTok co-op fosters creativity
UC grad student spends the summer in LA with social media giant TikTok
For Delfina Lassalle, landing an internship with TikTok felt almost impossible — until it wasn’t.
The University of Cincinnati student applied to numerous positions before receiving two offers, one in Cincinnati and another in Los Angeles with the popular social media app TikTok. She took the leap and spent her summer on the app’s livestreaming marketing team, surrounded by the fast-paced energy of the entertainment capital.
Delfina Lassalle at TikTok headquarters Photo provided by Lassalle.
“This was my first internship, and every day I walked into the office, I couldn’t believe I was there,” said Lassalle, a Córdoba, Argentina, native. “It was my dream company, and I thought that wouldn’t happen until years later.”
Enrolled in the university’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning as a Master of Design degree student, her program requires her to complete a cooperative education experience, gaining professional practice alongside her academic studies.
U.S. News & World Report ranks UC No. 4 in nation for co-ops and internships.
Time well spent
During her internship with TikTok LIVE, Lassalle supported the creative direction and production of multiple livestreaming campaigns, including Next Up LIVE Music, a global collaboration with iHeartRadio that showcased emerging musicians. She contributed to concept development, social media strategy and design asset creation, with her work featured across TikTok platforms and in mainstream media outlets.
Delfina Lassalle (left) and fellow intern Daniela Padilla at the TikTok headquarters in LA. Photo provided by Lassalle.
What stood out most to Lassalle was the creative culture inside TikTok’s offices. She described the environment as collaborative and dynamic, a place where experimentation was encouraged and ideas moved quickly from concept to production.
“The space itself is designed to spark creativity — it made me feel like I was part of a living, breathing creative lab.”
Being in that environment, she said, pushed her to think bigger and bolder. “I learned to pitch ideas with confidence and trust my instincts,” Lassalle said. “At TikTok, no idea felt too small or too strange. That freedom really opened up my creative process.”
UC co-op: By the numbers
- $94 million in collective student co-op earnings
- 8,300+ students from disciplines across the university participate
- $11,220 average co-op salary per student per semester
- 1,700+ employer partners participate in co-op
Founded by UC civil engineering professor Herman Schneider at UC in 1906
Right place, right time
She credits UC’s Professional Development I course with preparing her to succeed in such a space. The class, which teaches graduate students how to present themselves professionally, required her to refine her resume, portfolio and interview skills under close faculty guidance.
Delfina has truly brought her personal brand to life.
Jenny Chan Adjunct instructor of communication design at DAAP
“This course is designed to help graduate students craft their professional journey early in the program. It focuses on blending career exploration with the art of storytelling,” said Jenny Chan, adjunct instructor in communication design in DAAP and adjunct assistant professor in the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies. “During this process, Delfina has truly brought her personal brand to life. She has successfully turned her creative skills and experiences into a compelling narrative for potential employers.”
“Before that class, I didn’t know how to put together a portfolio in the way U.S. companies expect,” she said. “My professor made me refine every detail — my projects, my case studies, even the way I told my story. That portfolio was one of the reasons TikTok hired me.”
The mock interviews and peer feedback gave her tools she could immediately apply in the fast-moving world of social media. “As an international student, I was nervous about competing with people who already had U.S. experience,” she said. “But that course gave me confidence. It taught me how to present my perspective as an advantage.”
UC gave me the foundation, TikTok gave me the stage — and LA gave me inspiration.
Delfina Lassalle DAAP Master of Design degree student
A season of growth
The sights and sound of the Santa Monica pier gave Lassalle inspiration. Photo provided by Lassalle.
Outside of work, Lassalle said Los Angeles itself added another layer to the experience. She loved the city’s creative energy, the way art and design seemed woven into its neighborhoods, from murals to music to street fashion.
“I loved walking around and seeing how much creativity is everywhere,” she said. “The city inspires you just as much as the workplace does. Between the beaches, the food, the people — it was the kind of place that makes you believe anything is possible.”
The internship gave Lassalle more than professional experience — it gave her clarity about the kind of creative career she wants to pursue.
The arts, the culture and the beaches were highlights off Lassalle's experiences during her TikTok co-op. Photo at Venice Beach, California, provided by Lassalle.
She expects to graduate in May 2026 and hopes to continue building a path in social media and content creation, blending her design training with the storytelling skills she sharpened at TikTok.
“UC gave me the foundation,” she said. “TikTok gave me the stage — and LA gave me inspiration.”
Featured photo at top of Delfina Lassalle at the TikTok headquarters in Los Angeles provided by Lassalle.
Your career is next
Through one of the nation’s most robust, top-ranked co-op programs, UC students don’t just learn about their future — they live it, alternating classroom study with real, career-shaping experience in industries around the world.
Students: Earn while you learn at UC.
Employers: Find your next hire.
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