Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on Feb. 4, 2015, at the 9th Annual IMPACT Awards luncheon. Though the event is over and the winners have been announced, we are continuing to celebrate the nomineesā successes.
These are their stories.
Indiana INTERNnet: What do you love about sales and marketing?
Josh Valadez: I enjoy being involved in the company and knowing my role is part of a larger purpose. I am also a very talkative person, which being in sales allows me to talk without getting in trouble most of the time. I am a very creative person, and being in marketing empowers me to make my own decisions. I love being able to affect peopleās lives in a positive way, and I can do that through understanding sales and marketing.
IIN: In your internship, you were a leader in so many ways, including with the group of interns. Did that role come naturally to you?
JV: As interns, part of the program was to come up with philanthropy events and other projects that benefit the internship program; I was elected President of the Group Dekko Interns, which allowed me to take initiative in contacting appropriate people, and delegating tasks to the other interns. I enjoy short term goals and projects, therefore this was a more satisfying part of the internship.
IIN: You participated in OEM customer meetings and proposal preparations with potential for millions of dollars in sales growth. How did being in those high-stakes situations help you grow professionally?
JV: At the end of the day it inspired me to keep all my bases covered before heading into a meeting so that I may have the answers to most questions. It really allowed me to apply what Iāve learned in the classroom, and it definitely challenged my perspective when I went back to school.
IIN: You overcame disappointment at not being able to play football in college by becoming a member of the Trine University football team coaching staff. Tell us that story.
JV: When I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with pre-hypertension. I underwent heart surgery at Riley Childrenās Hospital in Indianapolis, and they put a stint in an artery as a precaution as I grow up. When I went to get my physical done before my freshman year of college, the doctors denied me because I run the risk of having a heart attack. Since college football demands not only physical and mental toughness, the academic, emotional and social stress add more components which concerned the doctors.
Since I still loved the school and wanted to pursue a degree in management, I decided to still participate with the football team, and the coaches gave me the task of filming and helping with equipment. After working hard and pursuing a conference championship in my actions, I became the film coordinator during my junior year and was awarded an opportunity to coach at the collegiate level. Being a part of the football team has taught me to be aggressive in decision making, as well as making decisions under pressure, but it also has shown me organization, humility and that hard work beats talent, when talent doesnāt work hard.
IIN: What are your plans for the summer?
JV: I will continue to recruit for Trine Thunder Football. I am also a co-founder of an up-and-coming service network called Job Scholar, LLC, and that should be taking off by late August. But soon I begin at Archery Tag in Waterloo, IN as a Sales & Marketing Intern. After being nominated Intern of the Year, the requests to apply for internships was overwhelming, but I found a place I fit in well, and the company is definitely moving forward.
