Britten Mathews' Marketing Internship in Washington, DC

Senior attacker Britten Mathews (Richmond, VA/Collegiate) is spending her summer interning for AARP in Washington, DC - let's hear more about her experience thus far:
1) What are you doing this summer, what made you decide to take this position?
I am working in the Member Exhibits Division for AARP in DC this summer. My main focus is event planning and marketing AARP’s National Event- Vegas@50+ which will take place in October in Las Vegas. We estimate to have about 30,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors. I knew this job would be great experience because it involved a large, well known organization in the D.C. headquarters. I have been exposed to many angles of the marketing and event planning industry and to AARP’s approach to these.

2) When did you begin your job how long will you be there this summer?
I started my job on June 8th and will finish August 14th. I will also attend the Vegas@50+ event October 22-24, 2009 which will be great additional exposure. I am most excited to see this summer’s work come together on site in Vegas.

3) Where are you living?
I am living in Georgetown with 4 UNC- Chapel Hill graduates. We live in a house very close to the Observatory so it is very common for me to either hear or see VP Biden’s motorcade. I also can see the National Cathedral from our upstairs and the church bells are clearly heard on Sundays. I have enjoyed D.C. and the city feel- definitely a great experience outside of the Lexington bubble. I would love to return to D.C. after graduation! 4) What does your normal day look like?
I work from 9-5 every day and have my own cubical (unfortunately not near any windows). I have a 15 minute walk to the metro each morning and about a 15 minute metro ride. I am fully responsible for updating and marketing the Vegas@50+ National Event through the social networks including Facebook, Twitter, and AARP’s Online Community. I communicate directly with the exhibitors for Vegas@50+, updating their company’s listings and helping them organize their booth space. I am also in charge of certain pages that will be published in the event’s Program Book. My team has done a phenomenal job of challenging me each day yet taking me under their wings and educating me on their industry.
5) What has been the best part of your job so far?
My most rewarding experience so far was an event we planned on Capitol Hill for a division of AARP. It was a Health Action Now Lobby 3-Day Event on the Hill which I was a part of from day one until its closing. Watching all of our work come together on site was very rewarding and the best hands-on experience I could ask for from an internship. I look forward to a similar experience in October when I travel out to Las Vegas.

6) What has been the most challenging part of your job so far?
The most challenging aspect of my job has been admitting that I do not know how to do everything. Asking for help and accepting that some things will not be perfectly correct was difficult at first. However, because our team works very well together this challenge has been easier to overcome.
7) Is there anything else that you would like to share with your teammates or other blog readers?
While it will be sad to leave D.C., I am looking forward to returning to Lexington and to beginning another great lacrosse season with the team! I cannot believe it is already senior year!

Kate Donnelly's Summer Interning with the Shepherd Poverty Program in Camden, NJ

This week we are checking in with junior Kate Donnelly (Houston, TX/St. John's School) who is spending her summer interning with the Shepherd Poverty Program in Camden, NJ:
What made you decide to spend your summer interning with the Shepherd Poverty Program?

After taking professor Beckley’s Poverty and Human Capability seminar freshman fall, I knew I wanted to get involved in the Shepherd Program. Professor Beckley’s class was so interesting and I really felt like I learned a lot about our country just by studying policies and experiences. Also, Beckley is just a great professor and person to get to know. I am actually minoring in poverty studies, and that is how I discovered this internship. For many years, Camden has had an extreme poverty rate and has been at the top of the ‘most dangerous cities’ list, so there is definitely a lot that needs to be done. The company I am working for is a development company that is trying to revitalize Camden and make it the vibrant city it used to be. I thought this internship would be a great opportunity to see a side of the non-profit world that I have never experienced before—the business side. I have loved my job so far because I have gotten to talk to some great residents of Camden and have also learned so much about running a non-profit. It has been a real eye-opener and has definitely changed my perspective and outlook on Camden, poverty, and life itself.

When did you arrive in Camden? How long will you be staying there this summer?

I actually started my internship in Berea, Kentucky where all the Shepherd Interns came together for an opening conference. Total, there are around 40 interns from Universities around the country, many coming from W&L. We all met at Berea College one of the partnering Universities and had an orientation for the summer. Then, on June 7th my two roommates and I drove all the way to Camden, NJ and started work on June 8th. I am spending a total of 8 weeks in Camden and will be going back to Lexington on August 1st for a closing conference. All of the Shepherd interns will meet back at W&L to give a report on their internships and share experiences. I will then be heading home, back to Texas, for a few weeks before coming back to school!

Where are you living right now? Will you be heading anywhere else?

I am living in the Rutgers-Camden campus graduate apartments. I share a four bedroom apartment with a kitchen and common room with my two roommates, Rob and Charlie, who also go to W&L. The apartment is actually almost exactly like the woodscreek apartments at W&L and is not too bad! It’s located in the “nicer” part of Camden and it has great security, which my parents were extremely happy about….

What does your normal day look like?

On a normal work day, I wake up around 7:30, get ready and walk to work. I have to get to work around 8:30. One of the main projects I am working on is a Home Improvement Program, so I spend much of the day interviewing potential residents for the program. The program is actually really neat. Through a lottery system, we give $20,000 dollar grants to homeowners to improve the safety, appearance, and livability of their home. In the interview, I basically help them fill out the application and make sure they turn in all the paperwork. It has been fun getting to know some of the Camden residents, and has probably been my favorite part of the internship. I am also working on some other miscellaneous projects including an analysis on a neighborhood that could use some housing improvements, and a large park plan. I usually finish work around 5:00 and walk home. I rest a little and then go work out of course! The Rutgers-Camden campus has a GREAT turf field that I have been using and I often run along the Camden waterfront promenade. Rob, Charlie and I then cook dinner and relax. There isn’t much to do in Camden (yet) so we have done some interesting things like dollar bowling, going to the Harry Potter premier, and going into Philly, which is only a 10 minute subway ride away.

What has been the best part of your internship so far?

The best part of my job has definitely been getting to meet some great residents in Camden. On the surface, Camden may look like a horrible, crime-ridden place, but if you get to really know the residents of Camden, you will find some really fascinating people who are working so hard to create a great life for them and their families. I have also loved getting to know my co-workers. They are so dedicated to Camden and I have learned so much from them. We also have a ton of fun in the office. Hah, sometimes I feel like I’m on a TV show while I’m there.

What has been the most challenging part of your job so far?

I’d say that the hardest part about working in Camden has been that there is so much to do to improve the city that it can get a little overwhelming. You could have so many great ideas about how to make Camden a better place, but working with the government and jumping through hoops can be challenging. You definitely have to remind yourself of the big picture and believe that every little bit helps so you don’t get bogged down. I’d say that seeing the reactions of homeowners when they find out that they have been randomly selected for our home improvement program, or after the improvements have been made and they are so happy with the results definitely helps remind me that we are making a difference.

Anything else that you want to pass on to your teammates or other blog readers?

Just that I can’t wait to see everyone in the fall!! I miss ya’ll and hope you’re having a GREAT summer!

Kate Speare's Summer in Texas

Junior attacker Kate Speare (Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven HS) is spending the summer interning for a venture capital fund in Houston, Texas - let's check in and see how things are going:

What are you doing this summer, what made you decide to take this position?
This summer I'm interning with a small Venture Capital Fund called DFJ Mercury in Houston, TX. DFJ invests in seed and early stage start-up company's in three sectors: Information Technology, bioscience and advanced materials. I decided to do this internship this past fall when an alumni set up a program in Houston for 6 internships in different kinds of small companies. The idea was to allow sophomores a chance to experience the business world before applying for the typical junior year internships. I thought this was a great opportunity so after I interviewed put DFJ Mercury as my preference because I didn't know much about Venture Capital but thought that it sounded really interesting and exciting!

I'm also taking an entrepreneurship class at Rice University that one of my co-workers is teaching. In this class we create our own start-ups. Throughout the class we will produce a business plan, an executive summery and we will also present elevator pitches and then longer pitches at the end of the class.

When did you arrive in Houston, how long will you be there this summer?
I flew down to Houston June 7th and I'm flying back August 21st. So I'll be in Houston for almost 3 months. The final presentations for my class are August 20th which is why I'm staying in Houston so long.

Where are you living?
I'm living at Kate Donnelly's house!! The Donnelly's have been AWESOME! I can't say enough good things about them! Mr. and Mrs. Donnelly, Frank and Laura (Kate's brother and sister) have all been so nice and have really made me feel like I'm at home in Houston.

What does your normal day look like?
Normally I'll Get to work between 8:30am and 9am. If it's a Monday I'll usually go to a deal meeting where everyone in the office meets and goes through all of possible and current investments. Then throughout the day I'll be given different start-up company's to research (usually in the IT sector). This involves reading business plans, executive summaries, PowerPoint presentations or just looking through their website. I'll do further research to find out about competitors and the market or anything else that needs to be looked into further. Then I'll right up small reviews on the company, which are basically listings of the pro's and cons interns of the company as a future investment. Throughout the day I'll also do small research tasks for the three managing directors at DFJ if they need some statistic or other information. Then if I'm lucky, I'll get to sit in on a meeting with some of these companies!

What has been the best part of your job so far?
Because I'm researching IT companies that are submitted to DFJ, I get to see some really cool emerging technologies. A lot of them have applications to my life as well which makes it more interesting. The other great part of working at DFJ is that it is a small firm which means I get to work with the top guys! The person who is in charge of me is a W&L alum who founded DFJ and is one of the three managing directors.
What has been the most challenging part of your job so far?
One of the most challenging things for me is having the confidence to say my opinions and submit them to my boss. It's hard to evaluate these companies since I've had such little experience, but I've come to realize that just using common sense is a big part of it. Plus, every time I submit my evaluations, I get feedback and then can improve for the next time evaluation. This summer, I'm definitely learning to be more confident in talking to people, whether it's networking with alums or just sharing my opinions when I'm asked to at work.

Is there anything else that you would like to pass on to your teammates and/or other blog readers?
Houston is a great city! Although it's quite different from Philly, I've really enjoyed it. Also, the Donnelly's are the coolest family! They're so much fun to be with and are all so kind. I greatly appreciate their generosity. I've had such a great summer experience!