Destiny Wardwell: 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 Destiny Wardwell, a senior in the Kelley School of Business at Indianapolis. I will be graduating in May 2019 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree with concentrations in Management and Human Resource Management. I currently intern with Motionwear, but I have previously interned with Quality Connection of Central Indiana and Stopover, Inc. I enjoy learning about the impacts of HR on the bottom line as well as discovering new insights on how to engage employees in the workplace. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn!

Indiana INTERNnet:  Describe the company-wide employee handbook you created. Did you encounter any obstacles?

Destiny Wardwell: For my first project, I created a company-wide employee handbook. The process was tedious, but necessary. Sometimes, I had to call meetings to discuss how certain policies would apply to different functions of business. My goal was to make a handbook that was comprehensive in nature and held everyone accountable for their actions.

This process took many months, but it was hugely insightful to the foundations of HR. Part of HR’s role is to follow through on disciplinary actions. By creating the handbook, I was able to provide all employees a clear outline of their expectations. This project also provided managers a guideline by which all subordinates were to follow. Within the first few weeks, Motionwear’s Vice President of Human Resources was able to reference the new handbook to apply appropriate disciplinary policies.

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

DW: I have completed three internships. The first internship was gained by simply volunteering. After my volunteering was completed, I was approached about an internship experience. After a few months of interning, I was hired by the organization. That experience was pivotal to my personal development because I decided to take a “Year of Service.” This year included working for three non-profit organizations and giving back to my community. After that experience, I decided to focus more on internship experience that would be relevant to my career. This led me to use Indiana INTERNnet to find a position at Quality Connection of Central Indiana. I consider this my first introduction to an office position and providing me a vision for what I wanted out of my career. After two semesters of interning there, I found another internship on Indiana INTERNnet that would provide me direct human resources experience. My experience in HR at Motionwear has been transformative, and I have enjoyed taking on projects that challenge me.

IIN: What are your future plans and career goals?

DW: I am currently searching for full-time positions in HR Generalist or HR Manager roles, as graduation is in May 2019. Over time, I plan to earn my way into a C-Suite position.

IIN: Why are internships important?

DW: Internships are the bridge between the student learning at the university or college and the real-world experience obtained at an organization. I wouldn’t have nearly as much knowledge of how HR relates to other business functions without my internship experiences.