Abbey Szentes: Making an IMPACT

Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 26, 2019 at the 13^th Annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon. Though the event is over, and the winners have been announced, we are continuing to celebrate the nominees’ successes.

 

These are their stories.

 

I am Abbey Szentes, a junior at Indiana University studying Human Resource Management and minoring in Finance. I am currently an HR intern for netlogx, a consulting firm in downtown Indianapolis, where I have been able to implement a new learning management system, supervise a high school intern, and onboard three interns into the company. When I am not working on school or internship projects, I enjoy hanging out with friends or helping with the organizations I am involved in on campus, including the Indiana University Student Foundation and my sorority, Phi Mu. Outside of school and work, I love to go to Colorado as a volunteer for Summer Field Studies. If you are interested in learning more about netlogx, please follow us on Twitter @netlogxTeam or on LinkedIn @netlogx.

 

Indiana INTERNnet:  You’ll be graduating in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, correct? What made you interested in pursuing that?

 

Abbey Szentes: Honesty, HR was a random choice for me. Even though my mother was in HR for 30 years, I never truly understood her position in the company. My interest, oddly enough, came from The Office. Once I took my first intro HR class, I fell in love. After taking my first introductory HR course, I knew that I saw the same passion in myself in my professor. She is a huge part of who and where I am today. She challenges all her students to do more, which I accepted that challenge.

 

IIN: Describe your internship experience with netlogx. What were your favorite aspects?

 

AS: My internship with netlogx exceeded all expectations I could possibly think of. I was able to jump right into real world HR projects. For example, I was able to research and make a recommendation for a new Learning Management System. After all my work, netlogx took my recommendation and made me one of the key people to help implement the new LMS to the rest of the organization. Another aspect that was amazing was how I was constantly being pushed to develop and grow. I was not only able to onboard 3 interns, but also be the high school intern’s supervisor. My absolute favorite aspect of the company is the people. Everyone at netlogx is so friendly, caring, and always willing to help. The awkward silence after “so who is going to work on this” doesn’t exist at netlogx. netlogx has allowed me to grow, make mistakes, and learn in a welcoming environment.

 

IIN: Describe this project you helped the team develop. Did you encounter any obstacles?

 

AS: This project helped both the high school intern and me develop in our own ways. The high school intern was able to gain real life experience as an intern, while I gained real life experience on being a supervisor. This gave me practice for my future career. The main obstacles I encountered were how to supervise in the best way possible to make her feel comfortable enough to still ask me questions while still having the respect of a supervisor.

 

IIN: How many internships have you completed? Could you describe the benefits you’ve gained from these experiences?

 

AS: I completed my summer internship but have been able to continue it through the academic school year. I have gained experience, more of a knowledge base, and relationships through my experience.

 

IIN: Was this your first internship? Why did you choose to complete an internship?

 

AS: This is my first internship. I chose to complete one to not only make myself more marketable, but also learn more about real world situations rather than the information I learn in classes.

 

IIN: What are your future plans and career goals?

 

AS: My future plans are to acquire a job offer before graduation. My career goal is to never have to interview for a job again and have organizations ask me to join them.

 

IIN: How has your nomination for IMPACT Awards impacted your life?

 

AS: My nomination for my IMPACT Awards has impacted my life in such a positive way. After sharing the news on my LinkedIn page, I received so many congratulations and celebrations from peers and colleagues.

 

IIN: Why are internships important?

 

AS: Internships are extremely important because they allow students to utilize course information in the real world. Also, internships give students a chance to learn and experience things that a classroom cannot give them.