Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 7, 2018 at the 12th 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
Rachel Moore is a sophomore at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. She is studying Environmental Geosciences. Rachel completed an internship during the summer with the Indiana State Fair in their Entry and Competitions Department.
Indiana INTERNnet: What was your experience like with the Indiana State Fair? What were your favorite aspects?
Rachel Moore: Throughout this experience, I was able to meet and network with many young professional college students like myself and build relationships. From this internship, I gained a better understanding of event planning skills, customer relations, as well as the ability to keep pushing through hard times no matter what. The overall takeaways I earned from this internship is an increase in my resiliency as a person that I can translate into my career path in the future. I became best friends with my fellow interns and was able to make memories working in the summer heat; whether it was running the Cat Show, or reading pig ear tags at 5AM, we always managed to maintain a positive attitude and enjoy our work.
IIN: What was the most challenging project you were assigned?
RM: As an intern in the Entry & Competitions Dept., many shows, check-ins, and check-outs are all happening simultaneously during the fair. This creates a hectic work environment that always required me to be on the move to go help solve everyone’s problems with these processes and seemingly the same time. Running from barn to barn in order to help fair exhibitors have as smooth of a process and enjoyable time as possible was challenging, but extremely rewarding at the end of the day.
IIN: What was it like helping to run the Indiana State Fair? What were some challenges you faced?
RM: Helping run the ISF was very challenging, yet fulfilling at the same time. The pace of work really picks up during the weeks of the fair and every large animal, arts, or horticulture exhibit relied on me and the other interns being able to resolve issues. A lot of my duties as an intern at the ISF were helping work through challenges with fair workers at the barns and pavilions, explain processes, enforce rules, and make sure that the entire exhibitor steps to show in the fair were followed. With over 8,000 or so exhibitors at the fair, it was challenging in itself to be available for service for all of them whenever necessary.
IIN: What are your future plans and career goals?
RM: I am planning on interning at the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management this upcoming summer to really focus on my environmentalist educational path. As an environmental geoscience major, I am learning about the earth’s resources, sustainability initiatives, and the interactions between the earth’s geochemical cycles and human societies. I hope to start my career after graduation with an environmental consulting firm or work in the field.
IIN: How has your nomination for IMPACT Awards impacted your life?
RM: Being nominated for this award has definitely given me more confidence in myself when applying to other internship positions. It has allowed me to recognize my professional progression and be able to work harder and improve in areas of my internship experiences.
IIN: Why are internships important?
RM: Internships allow aspiring young professionals gain foundational work experience in their sectors of interest. By completing an internship, you are setting yourself up for success in the long run by equipping yourself with interpersonal skills and learning to be self-reliant.
