News Archives
Meet the Intern: Fatoumata Sylla
Hello everyone! My name is Fatoumata Sylla. I am an intern at the Institute for Workforce Excellence.
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, but my family is originally from Guinea, which is located on the west side of Africa. I currently attend Indiana University Indianapolis, where I am currently a sophomore majoring in Law in Liberal Arts and Public Policy with a minor in Leadership and Military Science and a certificate in Paralegal Studies.
I am heavily involved on campus where I serve on two executive boards (Event Coordinator for the African Student Association and Secretary for the NAACP), as well as being a mentor with DEAP (Diversity, Enrichment and Achievement Program), Student Leader for the Orientation Team and the Black Student Union. This helps me stay connected to campus as well as helping the students around me and my community.
I started off as an apprentice through …
Meet the Intern: Travis Robinson
Hello! Iām Travis Robinson. I’m delighted and grateful to be working with the Institute for Workforce Excellence as the Program Operations Intern.
I grew up in Whiteland, Indiana, a lovely small community about 30 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. I enjoyed my time at Whiteland High School, which helped me set me on the professional path I am currently pursuing.
After high school, I began my studies at Purdue University. Studying agricultural systems management and data-driven agriculture has been an eye-opening experience. I have learned more than I could have imagined from some very intelligent professors. I am going into my senior year at Purdue eager to learn more. Although I know I will miss my university experiences, I’m also excited to use all that Iāve learned in a professional setting.
The Institute for Workforce Excellence has given me a wonderful opportunity to see what this professional setting will look …
High School Internships: Nick Wilson
Donāt underestimate the value of high school internships. Weāre shining a light on theseĀ valuable experiences by telling the stories of students around the state. Be on the lookout for additional blog posts aboutĀ high school internships.
Author Bio: My name is Nick Wilson and I am a 2020 Center Grove High School graduate from Greenwood, Indiana. I plan on studying civil engineering next year at Purdue University. I am the Development Intern at The Garrett Companies this summer.
Earlier this year, I knew I would have to find a job to fill my time for this summer. Not only that, but I needed to begin saving money for my time away from home in the near future. Instinctively, I decided that looking into a job that relates to what I want to do would be much more beneficial to my future than flipping patties at a burger joint. It would …
Virtual Internships: A Game-Changer
Itās theĀ unofficialĀ summer of virtual internships ā weāre 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: Joy Burton is the marketing and public relations intern at Artisan Electronics, Inc. She is a recent journalism/public relations graduate from Indiana University Bloomington in the Class of 2020. Joy will be a first-year Masterās student at Syracuse University this fall.
I was plagued with uncertainty applying for a summer internship in the midst of a pandemic. As a public relations and advertising student, Iām accustomed to the internship hiring process taking place between March and April. This year by the middle of March, many internships were off the table. When I found Artisan Electronics, the number of interviews Iād already participated in reached the double digits, and many programs had cancelled their …
Virtual Internships: Challenge Accepted
Itās theĀ unofficialĀ summer of virtual internships ā weāre 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 senior at IUPUI. I am majoring in Finance and International Studies and minoring in Economics and Philanthropic Studies. I am currently a project manager and business analyst for the TechPoint S.O.S. (Summer Opportunities for Students) Challenge, where I am working with a team to develop a website to help parents and students with elementary education. Ā
My summer, like many studentsā around the nation, has not worked out as I expected. For several months I excitedly planned to intern with a corporate funds service in Indianapolis as a loan agent, but everything changed when the pandemic hit. I scrambled to find new opportunities and felt the pressure of needing to build …
Virtual Internships: Is Being a Virtual Intern Too Easy?
Itās theĀ unofficialĀ summer of virtual internships ā weāre 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 ā 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 hadnāt been to the office in nearly three months. …
Intern Spotlight: Laura Knight
Hello, my name is Laura Knight. I am a senior at Indiana University, majoring in Policy Studies with a focus in Criminal Justice. I previously majored in Social Work at Ivy Tech Community College before transferring to IUPUI. My current major will allow me to pursue policy advocacy and research, while keeping the door open to graduate school or law school.
Before Ivy Tech & IUPUI, I attended high school in Wapakoneta, Ohio. This is a small town nestled in northwestern Ohio, where Drive Your Tractor to School Day was a regular, yearly event. During this time in my life I was involved in French club, Spanish club, cross country and track, and a rabbit breeder with 4-H. After high school I attended Ohio Dominican University for a short while, quickly recognizing collegiate studies was not a focus for me in 2008.
As a non-traditional student, Iāve …
Emily Sclafani: Reflecting on a Summer Internship
Purdue University rising senior Emily Sclafani joined Matchbook as a Communications intern this summer, before going back to complete her major in public relations and strategic communication. At Purdue, Emily is a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America, public relations officer for the Purdue Italian Club, and is in Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Dance is one of her passions, and sheās a member of the dance company Higher Ground at Purdue. With Matchbook, Emily learned more about public relations strategy and technique as they function in the real world, as well as translating her skill sets and knowledge to create meaningful work for clients that have a purpose.
An internās greatest fear is that they will spend their summer making coffee trips and doing busy work. At Matchbook, that is not the case. Right from the start, we were given real, hands-on work for …
Intern Spotlight: Dei’Marlon Scisney
Hello everyone, my name is DeiāMarlon Scisney, but most people know me as āD.ā I am from Evansville, Indiana and I am a rising junior from Wabash College. I am currently working towards a Biology major with English, Spanish, and Chemistry minors.
This will allow me to attend medical school after graduation, but life and experience could always steer me in a different direction. Like the Greek medical genius Hippocrates, medicine/healthcare is the temptress of my mind. Furthermore, with my desire to be an advocate for social, political, and economic issues, this internship in Government Affairs at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, in a way, found me.
Already, Iāve felt so welcomed which has made for a smooth transition into this internship. There is most definitely a purpose or motive behind getting involved with an initiative and being unified for a specific cause, which means, understanding how to be comfortable, …
Want to Work for NASA? Volunteer!
Alexandra Forsythe is a student at Indiana Tech. She is a double major in electrical engineering and computer engineering with minors in CS and math. Alexandra is currently working as a year-round intern for Ultra Electronics USSI.Ā
Hi! Iām Alexandra (āAlexā) Forsythe. Iāve been fortunate to have worked as an intern for NASA, Raytheon, and Ultra Electronics USSI. I designed a mission critical circuit board for NASA that will be used in an upcoming launch. For Raytheon, I programmed artificial neural networks. Iām a year-round intern for Ultra Electronics USSI, where I have been placed in charge of a new innovative product, and Iāll be an FPGA/ASIC design engineering intern for Intel next summer. At Indiana Tech, Iām a double major in electrical engineering and computer engineering with minors in CS and math, and Iām an officer in four student organizations.
You need an internship, but what else should …
Shaping Futures by Improving a Local Community
Katie McGinnis is an incoming senior at Indiana University Bloomington graduating in May of 2019. She is majoring in Media Advertising with a minor in Marketing. Katie is currently working at Helmer Scientific as a Marketing Communications Intern for her second summer with the company.Ā
On Saturday, July 28th, I joined other interns and Helmer Scientific team members to volunteer with the Indianapolis Intercollegiate YMCA volunteers and staff to transform the Laurelwood Community in Indianapolis. The Intercollegiate YMCA works with four universities to provide experiences that enhance students overall. They especially focus on leadership development programs for the students they work with.
The Laurelwood Community in Indianapolis consists of around 160 units in a low-income neighborhood. Before the Indianapolis Intercollegiate YMCA began their efforts in the community, Laurelwood had been long considered one of the roughest communities in Indianapolis. After ten years of partnering with the YMCA, the community …
From Intern to Founder: Wyatt Wells
Wyatt Wells is co-founder and chief marketing officer at The Bee Corp, an AgTech startup in Bloomington. Wyatt graduated from Indiana University in 2016.
āWhat do you want to be when you grow up?ā
If you asked me this question 10 years ago, I wouldāve replied, āIām going to play third base for the Boston Red Sox.ā If you asked me three years ago, my answer wouldāve been, āLet me get back to you on that.ā
Itās the clichĆ© question nearly all students dread hearing. Responses tend to fall into three categories: the vague (āI want to work in [medicine/software/sales]ā), the naĆÆve and oddly specific (āIām going to be a senior cloud systems engineer at Facebookā) and the aimless (āI just want to do something that makes me happyā).
Flashback to 2015
Entering my senior year at IU, I belonged under the aimless category. I became an expert at …
Hands-on Learning
Betsy Adams is currently serving as the talent acquisition intern at Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance (IFBI)Ā in the talent management department. She is a rising senior at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana studying human resource management and business. She will graduate in May of 2019 and is anxiously looking forward to kick starting her career in human resources.
On Wednesday, June 27, I had the opportunity, with the other 24 IFBI interns, to spend my afternoon at Gleanerās Food Bank of Indiana volunteering and serving the Indianapolis community. Our internship program provides us with a number of off-site field trips as opportunities to spend time outside of the home office to better understand the impact of the company and serve the community in a hands-on way.
It was fascinating to see our work dynamics come together in both a competitive and fun way. The healthy spirit of competition allowed us …
Creating a Meaningful Internship Experience
Logan is a senior in the Lacy School of Business at Butler University studying marketing and finance. His passion for people and desire to apply his business and leadership skills led him to FirstPerson where he interns on the Sales & Advisory team. He is responsible for assisting advisors, growing the book of business and exploring creative benefit approaches in the marketplace.Ā
An internship is a two-way street. For the intern, itās an opportunity to ātry things onā and apply knowledge gained from hours of sitting in class each week. For the employer, it leads to enhanced perspectives, increased workflow capability, and a pipeline for top talent.
Having been an intern at organizations both small and large, operating in multiple locations, and in various industries, Iāve realized there is no one-size-fits-all approach. In all internship programs, however, it is important for organizations to incorporate their beliefs and values to …
Interning to Support the Warfighter
Katie Pfeiffer is studying Electrical Engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and is expecting to graduate in May 2020. She is an intern for the Spectrum Technology Advanced Research Branch at the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division. Her responsibilities include researching, creating diagrams and user manuals, applying technical skills and coding.
My internship at Crane was one of the best experiences in my entire life ā not kidding! Crane is located in the middle of nowhere, but never have I met a community of people that are so kind and hospitable. This creates a positive and inviting work environment that allowed me to be excited to go into work every single day. The people in my group were also willing to challenge me and push me to learn more, work harder, and grow to become a better engineering student.
I worked on a multitude of projects while I …