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Virtual Internships: Is Being a Virtual Intern Too Easy?
Itâs the unofficial summer of virtual internships â weâre celebrating the successes and sharing the struggles that come with it. Be on the lookout for a blog post about virtual internships every Friday!
Author Bio: I am a rising junior at Indiana University â Bloomington (Class of 2022). I am majoring in Finance and Accounting with minors in Economics, Mathematics, and Spanish. I am currently an Investment Analyst Intern at Valeo Financial Advisors in Indianapolis, where I conduct research to support our advisors on the investments portion of their comprehensive financial planning service for their clients.
Last Thursday, I got out of my car and headed up the stairs to the third floor to start my day with the obligatory waves, head nods, and good-mornings, just like every other day at the office. The only difference was that I hadnât been to the office in nearly three months. …
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 …
Virtual Internships: 10 Thoughts You Have as a Virtual Intern
It’s the unofficial summer of virtual internships — we’re celebrating the successes and sharing the struggles that come with it. Be on the lookout for a blog post about virtual internships every Friday!
As I mentioned in my introductory post, Indiana INTERNnet is the fifth place Iâve been an intern. But itâs the first place Iâve been a fully virtual intern, which makes it a unique experience for me. I know Iâm in good company, though â many of you have just started your first virtual summer internship too. So, now seems like a good time to reflect on the first week or two of telecommuting and let you know youâre not the only one whoâs had some of these thoughts recently:
1. I miss company Keurigs. Remember the drawers full of fun K-Cup flavors we didnât have to pay for? Well, I certainly do.
2. So much for the …
Ten Things to Do in Indiana this Summer
Whether your summer internship brought you to Indiana for the first time, moved you to a different city within the state, or kept you kicking it in your Hoosier hometown (shoutout to the summer of virtual internships!), youâre probably eager to explore some of what Indiana has to offer this summer. While it might be different than previous years, there is still fun to be had in 2020! To help you make the most of your time, here are 10 things to do around the state this summer:
Indiana State Parks
Ready to get out of the house? Indiana State Parks are open and most of their services and facilities continue to provide a variety of options for a summer day.
Drive-In Movie Theaters
What better way to spend a summer night than at one of Indianaâs twenty drive-in theaters?!
Drive-in Restaurants
If youâre in the Indianapolis area, youâll want …
Meet the Intern: Emily Combs
Greetings!
Iâm Emily, the Outreach Intern here at Indiana INTERNnet this summer. I feel grateful and excited for the opportunity to spend the next several months promoting experiential learning in my home state!
Iâm originally from Fort Wayne, where I attended Homestead High School and had my first internship experiences as a senior there. I really appreciate the freedom I had to gain professional experience before college, and thatâs a major part of why Iâm so excited about joining the Indiana INTERNnet team now. This is my fifth formal internship, so I guess you could say itâs a passion! Last summer I was a part-time intern at an Indianapolis nonprofit called Tangram and at Prudentialâs Indiana Financial Group. My time in both companies taught me how to apply what I had been learning in the classroom to actual projects and problems.
Iâm a rising senior at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, …
Ciao, Indiana INTERNnet!
This is will be my signing off and farewell post. My time with the awesome Indiana INTERNnet team is complete and while this is a bittersweet post, I am beyond grateful for all of it. I know the future holds nothing but the best for Indiana INTERNnet and everyone involved. I am a much better young professional today thanks to the guidance of the entire team.
Mike,
I have never felt so comfortable being a subordinate. You made it easy to talk to speak to you and that means a lot. In a world full of intimidating bosses, passive aggressive emails, and glass ceilings your teamâs accessibility to you by far makes you a great leader. Combine that with your humor and willingness to help, Iâd say that makes you not only one of the best supervisors to have worked under but also one of the most understanding.
Allison,
…
April Employer Sentiment Survey: The Impact of COVID-19 on Summer 2020 Internships
In March, Indiana INTERNnet surveyed employers to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their summer 2020 internships. You may view the executive summary here. Since this has been an extremely fluid situation, Indiana INTERNnet sent another survey in April to see if â and how â anything has changed.
The survey was distributed to all employers registered on IndianaINTERN.net. In addition, it was shared with employer networks by Indiana colleges/universities and economic development organizations. A total of 181 responses were received.
Forty-six percent (84 employers) revealed they completed Indiana INTERNnetâs March survey. Of those 84 employers, 62% (52 employers) said  their answers had changed from the March survey.
Of those surveyed, 86% (156 employers) indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were planning on hiring interns for summer 2020.
When those 156 employers were asked what types of interns their company plans/planned on hiring, hereâs how they responded …
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? …
Survey Results: The Impact of COVID-19 on Summer 2020 Internships
With the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, Indiana INTERNnet wanted to get a clear idea of Indiana employersâ initial reactions to hosting summer 2020 interns. Who received the survey? All employers registered on IndianaINTERN.net. In addition, it was shared to employer networks by Indiana colleges/universities and economic development organizations. A total of 224 responses were received.
Of those surveyed, 93% (208 employers) indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were planning on hiring interns for summer 2020.
The majority of respondents 66% (138 employers) said they were planning on hiring between one to three interns before the pandemic.
With their current knowledge of events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, 72% (161 employers) said they still plan on hiring interns. Of that 72%, 74 employers said they still plan on hiring interns with no changes to plans. Eighty-seven employers said they plan on hiring summer 2020 interns, but with changes …
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 …
Spring, Is That You?
For months I had been anticipating this perfect riding weather. Telling others here at the Indiana INTERNnet how I could not wait to ride my bike into the office instead of taking the Red Line. A few weeks before all this, my fiancĂ© and I had just started up âReset Sundays,â where we would frequent a different park in the city or surrounding area. We like to get out of our small apartment in downtown Indy. We would walk around for miles and just reconnect with nature and reset for the week ahead.
Fresh Air, Is It Worth It?
The shelter in place order and working from home situation currently happening here in Indiana. Keeping us all cooped up inside plus the beautiful weather have me wanting to go outside for bike ride more than ever, but at what risk?
The truth is that a lot of us …
My Unexpected Senior Experience
Iâm experiencing a less than ideal ending to my undergraduate career.
Yesterday morning, I attended my first online lecture for a course called soil quality. We used a platform called Webex, which felt much like a Skype call. My teacher lectured like normal as if we were in class but only about five of my peers came online (out of 12). This is the only class I have thatâs switching over to meeting online during our scheduled class time; and the lab portion of the course is being replaced with shorter take-home assignments.
Other professors chose to create digital spaces where they can be available to students. Mostly, they’re doing this through virtual office hours and Canvas discussion boards. Other than that, course schedules have completely changed. Now on a regular day I download assignments, watch videos, and review PowerPoints in place of class.
The worst …