Earlier this week, Indiana INTERNnet hosted its inaugural Indiana Intern Showcase, a virtual event that featured 17 interns from around the state. During the showcase, interns shared about the experiences they had this summer. Many discussed large projects and favorite traditions they participated in throughout their internships. The nearly 50 showcase attendees also had the opportunity to ask questions during several Q&A sessions with presenters. Here are a few of the highlights from the showcase:
Developing skills
Every intern who presented in the showcase spoke to some degree about the skills they had learned and developed over their summer internships. Presenting interns were from a variety of industries, college majors, and educational levels, but they all gave testimony to the educational power of an internship. Students talked about developing skills that ranged from research and writing to engineering and cold calls, human resources and event planning to teaching and accounting. It was evident that each of the intern had gained a great deal from their summer experience.
Conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion
As some interns shared work they had done for their companies’ diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, employers began asking questions about continuing that important work. Interns were able to share candid feedback about problems and potential solutions they’ve seen in the workplace, and employers were eager to gain a fresh perspective from students.
Company culture in a virtual world
Another theme of presentations during the showcase was the effects of working from home on interns, who only have a short amount of time to acclimate to company culture in the first place. While some presenting interns worked in offices this summer, many worked at least partially from home. They were able to share both positive and negative perspectives on their experiences and offer some suggestions to employers as well. The general consensus was that most interns still prefer working in person at least sometimes, although there was valuable discussion about how to improve virtual work for the times when it’s necessary.
If you missed the showcase Wednesday, you can still watch the recording to catch up on some excellent intern presentations and conversations. Stay tuned for details about the next Indiana Intern Showcase, and we hope to see you there!
