Category Archives: Young Professionals
What I’ve Learned So Far
I have officially hit week 10 of my internship with Indiana INTERNnet!
I feel it is the perfect time to update you on everything I have done thus far, and also talk through some things I have learned along the way.
First things firstÂ
Internships are a great way to discover the types of things you want out of your career, while also “test driving” different paths you may want to look into. For myself I learned that I truly love social media marketing. Before Indiana INTERNnet, I had zero experience running social media accounts that weren’t my own. I found myself looking forward to creating posts and researching trends that would boost engagement on our site. Creating content feels like second nature at this point and I will most definitely be looking for careers that will allow me to have that creative freedom in the future!
The most rewarding …
Common Challenges New Interns Face
We’ve all been there–the new kid, the freshman, first day of your first job.
No matter who you are, you experience being the bottom rung of the ladder at some point.
One of the most common stereotypes surrounding internships is that you are designated all the grunt work. We see evidence of this in popular tv shows, movies, and even books, so it has to be true, right? Well– yes it is kind of true, interns are given the jobs that other employees don’t care to do, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. We all have to start somewhere, and there’s no better way to learn than to start from the bottom.
The advice I would give to an intern who does not appreciate getting the grunt work is this: perspective is everything. You must always remember that scanning through documents and running errands are some of the …
Intern Stories: Natasha Mecklenburg
“Providing internship opportunities…changes the whole equation” -Eduardo J. Padron
On June 14, 2021 I had the opportunity to interview Natasha Mecklenburg, a private client advisor at Gregory & Appel Insurance located in Indianapolis. I met Natasha at a Rotary Club meeting a week beforehand, and hearing how her intern experience changed the trajectory of her life truly inspired me.
Natasha’s story begins in Zimbabwe, Africa. She was born and raised in Zimbabwe, until she migrated to Switzerland to further her education. Natasha found her niche for hospitality and hotel management early on, which led to her attending an international hotel management university located in Switzerland. This university wasn’t your average college campus, but rather a mock hotel run by the students. During her first few years of school, Natasha had the opportunity to complete two internships. When the time came for her chance at a third, her campus hosted a …
What I Wish I Knew Before My Internship
So, you landed your first internship this summer, congrats!
Internships are a great way to network and get your foot in the door in the world of the corporate job market, but were you aware of the things you should be doing now? You may be thinking to yourself, “I just started, what could I possibly need to do?” Well, I am here to tell you that by starting now, you set yourself up to have a plethora of key takeaways at the end of your internship experience.
First things first, keep track of your projects! Big or small, doesn’t matter, what matters is having enough pieces to fill your portfolio and resume with, so that future employers can get the best idea for how your skills would fit with their team. The best advice I can give is to start healthy/helpful habits now. Create weekly lists of specific tasks you …
Meet the Intern: Kennedy Eineman
Hello! My name is Kennedy Eineman, and I am delighted to join the Indiana INTERNnet team as its summer 2021 intern!
Iâm originally from Fairland, Indiana, a small town just southeast of Indianapolis. I attended Triton Central High School, graduating with fewer than 85 people in my class. My small town gave me some of the best memories, but I fell in love with Indianapolis and hoped that one day I would be a part of it.
This past May, I graduated from Ball State University with a major in public relations and a minor in communications. In my time as a college student, I was a part of Kappa Delta sorority, where I held and maintained strong leadership roles. My experience with Kappa Delta is what steered me towards my love for outreach and interpersonal communication: two integral elements to my position at Indiana INTERNnet.
I found Indiana …
Making an IMPACT: Mason Gordon
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 23, 2021 at the virtual 15th Annual IMPACT Awards Celebration. While the event may be over, it’s still important to recognize the successes of our nominees! Did you miss the program? Watch it here.
Indiana INTERNnet: Congratulations on winning College Intern of the Year! To start off, what school do you attend, and when do you plan on graduating?
Mason Gordon:Â Currently, I’m a student at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and I’m pursuing a master’s degree in rural futures planning and innovation. I’ll be graduating from there in May, it’s a one-year master’s degree program.
I’m there on a Mitchell Scholarship, which sends 12 U.S. students each year to Ireland to pursue a year of graduate studies. To my knowledge, I’m the first person in Indiana to win that.
Before this, I was a student at Purdue University, and …
Making an IMPACT: Ashley Harter
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 23, 2021 at the virtual 15th Annual IMPACT Awards Celebration. While the event may be over, it’s still important to recognize the successes of our nominees! Did you miss the program? Watch it here.
Indiana INTERNnet: Congrats on your nomination for Intern of the Year! What school did you attend, and when did you graduate?
Ashley Harter: I attended DePauw University in Greencastle, IN and graduated early this past December of 2020!
IIN: What are you majoring and minoring in? What made you interested in pursuing that?
AH: I majored in Psychology at DePauw – I’ve always been interested in studying human behavior and cognition, and it has been interesting being able to apply this field to my marketing experience at Anvl!
IIN: Where was your internship? Describe your experience. What were your favorite aspects?
AH: I had …
Micro-Internships Bring New Changes to IndianaINTERN.net
In order to combat the spread of COVID-19, many Indiana colleges and universities moved to eliminating fall and spring breaks while extending winter breaks. While a longer break can provide a much-needed period of relaxation for students, it also can be the perfect time to explore micro-internships.
Micro-internships are short-term, project-based experiences that provide individuals opportunities to increase their skills, explore new career paths and build their networks. Theyâre an excellent opportunity for employers to hire students specifically for the purpose of completing a singular project. Itâs important to note, however, that micro-internships are not eligible for the EARN Indiana program.
Unlike traditional internships, micro-internships take place over a range of hours as opposed to a set timeframe. They typically last from 10 to 80 hours of work with most projects due within a week to a month after assignment. Their short timeframes make micro-internships a great fit for this …
Students: Here’s Essential Advice for Virtual Career Fairs
Most people don’t have a whole lot of experience with virtual career fairs. Up until now, no one had that much of a reason to host or attend one. But amid COVID-19, most career fairs are going completely virtual. It’s easy to be intimidated by this foreign environment when in-person career fairs were already nerve-wracking. But use this advice on how to handle a career fair so you can set yourself up for success!
Most virtual career fairs use video platforms, so be prepared.
All the career fairs I’ve attended so far this season had employers plug in their meeting information for whatever video platform they want to use with students. What this means is you’ll probably encounter a variety of different video call applications. To make sure you don’t have any delays as you try to speak with employers during the fair, try to download the video programs ahead …
Virtual Summer Events for Interns
Iâm so excited to announce that I am back on the Indiana INTERNnet team for the summer! If you remember my name, you know I was an intern last year through the summer and fall semesters. I am now back as the interim program assistant. It’s good to be back.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many internships around the state. Despite the challenges, employers throughout Indiana arenât letting this stop professional development. Instead, theyâre providing virtual opportunities as they strive to prepare the stateâs future workforce.
Indiana INTERNet and other Indiana organizations are offering free events to enjoy from the comfort of your own home while learning from career professionals in a wide range of areas. Young professionals can use these opportunities to understand and develop new skills by understanding personal branding, learning how to utilize LinkedIn and much more.
While these experiences may be different than what many are …
Farewell, Indiana INTERNnet
Dear Indiana INTERNnet,
The opportunity to intern with this company has been a delightful learning experience. Throughout the semester, I’ve learned and grown in many ways.
Most notably, I had the opportunity to plan and execute an Instagram-based social media campaign. The goal of the campaign was to create engaging content for students on our Instagram. I wrote out a full plan, created graphics, and produced videos through Tik-Tok for the platform. The result was an increase in followers and student engagement on our account!
Mike, our executive director, gave me full creative freedom to do this project. Thank you for being a fearless leader during these uncertain times.
Allison, you were super welcoming from the beginning. Youâve been my go-to whenever I needed guidance or a question answered. I’ll miss our chats about BeyoncĂš, sociology, and Ball State.
Caitlyn, Iâve learned so …
Olatundun Awosanya: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 18 at the 14th Annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon. Though the event is over and the winners have been announced, we are continuing to celebrate the nomineesâ successes.
These are their stories.
Olatundun Awosanya is a senior at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. She also completed an internship with Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
Indiana INTERNnet: Congrats on winning College Intern of the Year at our 2020 IMPACT Awards! Now that your internship is over, what are you up to these days?
Olatundun Awosanya: These days I am working hard to finish my last semester of college strong. Having to switch from a classroom setting to complete online schooling has definitely been a learning curve, but I feel like I have finally gotten adjusted to it. I am sad that there will not be a commencement ceremony to celebrate the accomplishment with my fellow classmates, but …
Shelby Waligora: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 18 at the 14th Annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon. Though the event is over, and the winners have been announced, we are continuing to celebrate the nomineesâ successes.
These are their stories.
Shelby Waligora is a senior at DeKalb High School. She completed an internship with The Community Foundation DeKalb County.
Indiana INTERNnet: Congrats on winning High School Intern of the Year at our 2020 IMPACT Awards! Now that your internship is over, what are you up to these days?
Shelby Waligora: Currently I am focusing on finishing my senior year strong at DeKalb High School with the added obstacles. I’m still interning at the Community Foundation; I will hit one year in January. I still hold the title as Promise Intern and still work closely with Promise Enrollment events at DeKalb County schools and still assist in planning the Walk Into My Future event. As time goes …
Internships Amid COVID-19: More Important Than Ever
The last month has upended the way most of us live our daily lives. When this happens, most of us go back to the basics. We do what we need to do to make it through the day â and not much more. After a few weeks, however, we realize that we can establish new routines. We can do much of what we did previously, even if physically distant from one another during a stay-at-home order. We regain much of our productivity and, before we know it, we wonder why we werenât using technology so much in the past.
As we set new routines, we can start thinking ahead again. Our first instincts may have been to put our summer internship plans on hold because there were too many questions. For students: Are employers still hosting interns? Will the employer be able to host me if I accept an offer? …
Zavion Herron: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 18 at the 14th Annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon. We are continuing to celebrate the nomineesâ successes.
These are their stories.
Zavion Herron is a junior at Riley High School. He completed an internship with the University of Notre Dame Center for Civic Innovation.
Indiana INTERNnet: Congratulations on winning High School Intern of the Year at our 2020 IMPACT Awards! Now that your internship is over, what are you up to?
Zavion Herron: I am just getting through high school, juggling the many things that are in my life now. The new and expansive career brought from the internship, my after-school activities like Science Olympiad and the Riley High School game club Iâm co-president of along with my friend Parker Dabney, etc.
IIN: Where are you currently at in your career with the University of Notre Dame Center for Civic Innovation?
ZH: This is technically the fourth …