Divina Fernandes
2026 Saltire Scholar
Marketing Strategy Intern, Astrak Group
Game Design and Production, Abertay University
Hi I’m Divina, a recent Game Design and Production graduate from Abertay University. I applied to the Saltire Scholars Programme because I wanted to gain professional experience outside of my degree and develop new skills that could help me with my future career. As someone with a background in game design and production, I was particularly interested in exploring how my creative and technical skills could be applied in a different industry.
I joined Astrak Group as a Marketing Strategy Intern, where I had the opportunity to work across a variety of different areas of marketing. My role included email marketing, market research, designing email templates, content creation and content capture. Although marketing was not something I had originally planned to pursue alongside game design, I quickly realised that there were many similarities between the two, particularly when it came to understanding audiences, communicating ideas and creating engaging content. From the beginning of my internship, I was given the opportunity to work on real projects and contribute to the marketing team. One of the main projects I worked on was helping to build Astrak’s automated email journeys for their markets.
Another part of my internship I really enjoyed was the creative side of the role. I designed future email templates for Astrak’s EPD and created content for their social media. I also had the opportunity to work with different types of digital content. This was something I found particularly interesting because it allowed me to bring some of the creative skills I developed through my degree into a completely different setting.
Looking back on my internship, I feel that I have developed both professionally and personally. I have gained practical marketing skills that I can take into my future career, while also discovering that my background in game design can be applied to areas beyond traditional game development. Building professional connections throughout the internship has also been valuable, as I have learned from people with different experiences and approaches to their work.
One of the biggest things I have taken away from the Saltire Scholars Programme is that trying something outside of your usual path can open up opportunities you might not have considered before. I originally thought my career would be focused entirely on game design, but this internship has shown me that I am also interested in the marketing and creative side of different industries. It has given me a better idea of the direction I would like to explore in the future and has made me more confident in the skills I can bring to different roles.
I would highly recommend the Saltire Scholars Programme to other students and graduates considering applying. It gives you the chance to gain real professional experience, meet new people and challenge yourself outside of your comfort zone. I came into the programme hoping to gain some new skills, but I have come away with experiences and a much clearer understanding of what I want to explore in my career.
