Recent News
Join Us in Celebrating Indiana Intern Day 2020
Join Indiana INTERNnet and theĀ Indiana Commission for Higher EducationĀ in celebrating Indianaās interns on social media for Indiana Intern Day on July 30, 2020! The occasion is modeled after National Intern Day ā a movement to honor interns and the employers that provide meaningful internship opportunities.
Make sure your company or school makes the pledge by filling out theĀ online pledge form. Weāll send you a digital content kit with sample social media posts, graphics and ways to celebrate interns.
Employers, we know that during the time of COVID-19 internships may look a little different. But we believe that itās more important than ever to highlight the impact of internships. Whether you have a virtual intern, or if you had to take a break from hosting interns, you can still participate. When we send you our digital content kit, weāll include ways to recognize virtual interns too. If you donāt currently …
High School Internships: To the High School Student Considering an Internship
Donāt underestimate the value of high school internships. We’re 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.
Dear high school student,
If youāre wondering if you should pursue an internship, the answer is yes.
Maybe you donāt know where it will take place, because itās nothing more than an idea right now. No problem! The process of finding an internship may teach you just as much as the experience itself. It may feel daunting to search for an opportunity as a high school student, but youāll find that there are more offerings than youād expect. Your school, community and Indiana INTERNnet want to help prepare you for the workforce; internships are one of the best ways to do so.
Even an unpaid position likely will benefit you financially over the next few …
Employers: What Your Intern Wishes You Knew
Whether youāve hosted interns for years or weeks, chances are youāre still not a mind-reader. You care about making this internship the best possible experience for everyone involved, but your intern may not know how to communicate their goals to you just yet. To make things easier, hereās a list of ten things your intern probably wishes you knew:
1. Iām here to work
If I wanted to be paid to do nothing, I would get a job as a house sitter. Iām here to gain experience in my field of interest, and Iād rather be busy than bored.
2. That said, I know my limits
And you probably do, too. I donāt expect every task you assign me to be incredibly important or challenging, because I understand there are some things Iām just not qualified to do. Iāll learn from the small things, too.
3. Iām always observing
Because …
Virtual Internships: Museum Musings
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!
Brooke Hazel is a Digital Media Intern at The Childrenās Museum of Indianapolis this summer ā rather, for The Childrenās Museum, as Brooke is working at home like many interns in Indiana. Brooke is from Brownsburg and attends Butler University as a member of the class of 2022. With double majors in Strategic Communication and Human Communication & Organizational Leadership and double minors in Spanish and Education, Brooke already learned the value of time management before it became more important than ever this year.
She started her summer internship search early ā and it paid off. Not only did she land an internship that aligns well with her career goals, but she also made it through the hiring …
Spend Summer Serving
Here at Indiana INTERNnet, weāre all about experiential learning. Our focus is internships, but we recognize that sometimes students have to get creative and find other opportunities ā especially this summer. As some internship programs have been cancelled or changed due to COVID-19, volunteer opportunities have only increased to help communities through this crisis. If your summer internship has been cancelled or shortened, consider spending some of your extra time serving!
Why Volunteer
Recent months have made us all more aware of the needs within our communities ā why not help to meet them? Not only will you be making a difference during this historic time, but youāll also be gaining valuable experience to learn from and add to your resume. Can you say win-win?!
Finding Opportunities
There are so many needs that it can be hard to know where to start. But there are several resources to help you …
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. …
Virtual Summer Events for Interns
Iām 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 arenāt letting this stop professional development. Instead, theyāre providing virtual opportunities as they strive to prepare the stateās 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 theĀ unofficialĀ 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 Iāve been an intern. But itās the first place Iāve been a fully virtual intern, which makes it a unique experience for me. I know Iām in good company, though ā 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 youāre not the only one whoās had some of these thoughts recently:
1. I miss company Keurigs. Remember the drawers full of fun K-Cup flavors we didnāt 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!), youāre 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 Indianaās twenty drive-in theaters?!
Drive-in Restaurants
If youāre in the Indianapolis area, youāll want …
Meet the Intern: Emily Combs
Greetings!
Iām 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!
Iām 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 thatās a major part of why Iām so excited about joining the Indiana INTERNnet team now. This is my fifth formal internship, so I guess you could say itās a passion! Last summer I was a part-time intern at an Indianapolis nonprofit called Tangram and at Prudentialās 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.
Iām 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 teamās accessibility to you by far makes you a great leader. Combine that with your humor and willingness to help, Iād 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 ā and how ā 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 INTERNnetās March survey. Of those 84 employers, 62% (52 employers) said Ā 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, hereās 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.Ā Thank you for being a fearless leader during these uncertain times.
Allison, you were super welcoming from the beginning. Youāve been my go-to whenever I needed guidance or a question answered. I’ll miss our chats about BeyoncĆØ, sociology, and Ball State.
Caitlyn, Iāve learned so …
Olatundun Awosanya: Making an IMPACT
Indiana INTERNnet celebrated internship excellence on February 18 at the 14thĀ AnnualĀ IMPACT AwardsĀ Luncheon. Though the event is over and the winners have been announced, we are continuing to celebrate the nomineesā 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 14thĀ AnnualĀ IMPACT AwardsĀ Luncheon. Though the event is over, and the winners have been announced, we are continuing to celebrate the nomineesā 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:Ā CongratsĀ 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 …