Most co-ops get assigned to one function. Marketing or product. Content or strategy. Execution or planning.

Tarundeep Kaur's internship at Yolando has been the opposite of that.

As the Product and Marketing Co-op, Tarun's role sits at the intersection of AI visibility, content systems, and product strategy,a rare spot that lets her wear two completely different hats and see how they work together in real time. 

She's a third-year Laurier student in a double-degree program (Business and Computer Science), and over the past several months, she's done something most interns never get to do: help build a product from the ground up while simultaneously shaping how it shows up in the world.

She didn't just execute tasks. She owned content strategy, improved product features like the Content Hub and prompt generation, worked directly with clients before the app fully launched, and helped build a documentation system that made the product easier to use and understand for future users. All while learning from engineering, business, and a team that treats co-ops like builders, not just extra hands.

Content Strategy That Actually Matters

When Tarun talks about her marketing work, she doesn't describe it as "running the social media" or "writing blog posts." She owned the content strategy—thinking through who Yolando is talking to, what problems they have, and how to show up in a way that's useful.

"I wasn't just writing things; I was thinking about: Who are we actually talking to? What pain points are we trying to hit? What are the ICPs, and what would make them care? And how do we make content that's useful to humans, but also structured in a way that LLMs can understand and surface it?"

That last part is what made her work different. Tarun wasn't just optimizing content for people, she was thinking about how AI systems index, surface, and understand information. In a world where more people discover products through AI tools, that kind of thinking matters.

Documentation That People Actually Use

Tarun also spent time on something most people don't get excited about: documentation.

She started by writing early versions, then worked closely with Corey, the Senior Product Manager on the Yolando team, as it evolved—editing, refining, and eventually pushing it live to the website. The work forced her to understand how the product actually works, not just surface-level features but how everything connects.

"It was genuinely fun because it forced me to understand the nitty-gritty of the product. It also taught me how to write in a way that meets different expectations—writing for users, writing for clarity, writing so someone can actually take action, and writing so it scales."

Good documentation compounds. Every new user who finds their answer. Every support question that doesn't need to be asked. Every teammate who can reference it instead of interrupting someone else. Tarun got that, and she treated documentation like infrastructure—not flashy, but foundational.

Product Work: Client delivery and prompt refinement

Marketing was only half the job. Tarun spent just as much time working on product—often in ways that made it hard to tell where one stopped and the other started.

She helped improve the Content Hub, making it easier to navigate and more intuitive for users actually trying to find information. She contributed to refining prompt generation, working to make outputs more consistent and effective. And she worked hands-on with clients before the app even fully launched—taking their feedback, understanding what they needed in real time, and feeding that back into what got delivered next.

She also owned a lot of the customer-facing content and communication. Not just writing it, but thinking through what customers actually need to know, when they need it, and how to deliver it without overwhelming them.

“Tarun’s customer-focused orientation enabled her to create amazing self-serve documentation that leads to product evangelists!" – Martin C., Director of GTM 

This wasn't "help out where needed" work. Tarun shaped features, solved real user problems, and made the product better in ways customers actually noticed.

Day One: Scratch that, you're building Yolando now

Tarun interviewed expecting to work on BirdseyePost, an established product that was already live. On her first day, the plan changed—she'd be focusing on Yolando instead.

"At that time, Yolando was basically ideas and Figma boards. Being able to watch it go from literally square one to what it is now in about four months has been an absolute pleasure."

That kind of pivot could throw people off. For Tarun, it was exactly what she wanted—a chance to help build something from scratch and see how fast a product can come together when the team is aligned.

She didn't just watch it happen. She helped shape how Yolando positions itself, how it teaches users, how it gets discovered, and how it solves real customer problems. All while the product was still being built.

Getting comfortable with not knowing

What surprised Tarun most wasn't the work itself—it was how much trust she was given from the start.

"I wasn't treated like 'just an intern.' I was treated as a full time employee that had ownership of the work she did and was encouraged to explore ideas, try things, challenge assumptions, and contribute in a real way."

Some of the most useful work she did wasn't even assigned—it was what she noticed and spoke up about. Gaps in how things connected. Messaging that could be clearer. Ways to make product and marketing work feed into each other better.

Tarun also figured out something about herself: she's good in spaces where things aren't fully figured out yet.

"I realized I actually really like working in ambiguous spaces, where things aren't fully figured out. I'm comfortable figuring it out as I go, and turning messy, complicated ideas into something structured and usable."

That comfort with ambiguity is what made her effective in a role where marketing and product constantly overlap, and where the team moves fast enough that you can't wait for perfect clarity before starting.

Learning from people who care about the details

One of Tarun's favorite parts of the internship was learning from people across the company, engineering, business, product, marketing. She sat in meetings where people drilled into why something works and why something doesn't, and that curiosity was contagious.

"There's a lot of curiosity and a lot of clarity, and people drill down into details without making it stressful. The standards are high, but it's supportive, and that pushed me to experiment more, learn faster, and ask smarter questions."

That environment gave Tarun room to try things and iterate quickly. She learned how real products evolve, balancing strategy, technical constraints, customer needs, messaging, and timing all at once. She got exposure to engineering, which helped her understand what's feasible, what takes longer than expected, and what should be prioritized.

“Tarun is a cross-functional powerhouse. When you can pull customer insights from product interviews, translate that into actionable guidance for our engineers, and market that for prospects - that’s the type of engagement you look for from exemplary team players. – Martin C., Director of GTM

The Real Job: Figuring It Out as You Go

Asked what she'd tell someone coming into a similar role, Tarun was direct: the real job is getting comfortable not knowing what you're doing at first.

"A lot of this role is 'figure it out as you go,' and that's fine. You're not expected to come in with all the answers. Ask questions early and often, the team would rather you ask than sit there stuck for hours trying to figure something out on your own."

Tarun also learned the team actually wants to hear ideas, even rough ones.

"If you have an idea, just say it. Even half-baked ones can spark something useful. Sometimes what seems like an incomplete thought to you is actually exactly what the team needs to hear to move forward on something they've been thinking about."

And if you notice something that's unclear or could work better? Say that too.

"If you see a gap or something that doesn't make sense, bring it up. The team is really open to hearing what's not working, and usually that's how you end up working on making something new happen."

The Kind of Work We Want More Of

Tarun's internship is what we want co-op experiences at Yolando to be: real ownership over work that matters, support from people who care about getting it right, and room to figure things out as you go.

She helped build content strategy for a new product. She improved features customers interact with daily. She worked with clients, refined documentation, and connected work across teams. And she did it all while the product was still being built—which meant dealing with ambiguity, asking good questions, and making decisions that would stick.

When co-ops do work like this, it's not because we have a great onboarding program or a fancy internship structure. It's because the team trusts them to contribute, challenges them to think harder, and gives them space to build things that actually get used.

Tarun did exactly that. We're proud to have her on the team.

Interested in joining the team? If you're looking for a co-op where you'll own real work across marketing and product, we'd love to hear from you. Reach out at info@yolando.com.