Matt Kaczkowski ’13 – This summer I was lucky to have the opportunity to be an intern for the NBA basketball division of  Octagon Sports Marketing, one of the largest athlete management firms in the world and I wanted to share how my Wabash training and experience helped me to get the job and to have a great experience.

Since Octagon is an immense company with upwards of 800 staff in 22 countries across 6 continents, securing summer internships is very competitive.  I had to write essays, analyze a sports marketing case and present my conclusions to a panel of executives in Washington DC, . . . just to get the job!  Little did I know, I would face competition from students from schools such as Northwestern, Georgetown, University of Michigan, USC, Penn State and many others.  Fortunately, my Wabash training enabled me to think critically and communicate effectively.  I knew there would be stiff competition but I kept fighting.  Even though there were 580 intern candidates all from bigger schools, I was lucky to be their FIRST hire for the Octagon 2012 internship program.

As an intern in the basketball division, I had a variety of opportunities.  The company afforded me the chance to interact on a daily basis with Octagon clients such as Wesley Matthews (Portland Trailblazers), Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Hornets), Landry Fields (Toronto Raptors), David West (Indiana Pacers), and Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors).  My role in the department involved draft preparation, statistical analysis and coordination for Octagon rookie clients and marketing/endorsement partnerships for current NBA players.  I helped coordinate the Octagon rookies’ schedules of workouts and summer leagues.  I provided marketing ideas for both Matthews and Curry that will be enacted later this year with a number of companies in Portland, OR and Raleigh, NC respectively.

This summer gave me a great perspective on the sports industry.  The chance to observe and work with basketball agents was amazing.  Octagon held a weekly speaker series in addition to a couple of team projects that helped me get a feel for a few different areas of the company.  I was given tremendous insight into the hiring process, partnerships research, and logistics that go into the sports world.  I had a fantastic time and I’m grateful for the experience and exposure.

The Octagon experience allowed me to put my Wabash liberal arts education to work in the sports world.  The strengths of communication skills, empirical skills and critical thinking gleaned from my work at Wabash allowed me to be successful in my work this summer.   I owe my success to all of my instructors, coaches and the folks at Career Services who helped me at various steps in my journey.  You don’t realize how well Wabash prepares you until you get out in the world.

Josh Jones ’14 – For most of my summer, I’ve worked as an intern at the Schroeder Center for Career Development at Wabash College. During this time, I’ve learned many techniques to help improve not only my job-seeking skills but also to help me help others in this area as well. Throughout this time, my partner and I have worked on many projects from organizing the Community Fair to exploring a Wabash-owned area of land known as “The Patch” and figuring out ways that this area can be used by students.

In the first week of work, I went through Peer Career Advisor training.  This training was an important piece of my internship experience, as it not only helped me familiarize myself with what Career Services offers, but also help me learn to help others with resume editing and advice. One problem that the Career Services building runs across is getting students involved with the programs that we offer. So, part of my job this summer was coming up with some ideas that could help bring more people into the office throughout the school year. One of the projects that we did to help this was to create a Pinterest page dedicated to informing students of what we offer along with other useful tidbits of information.

The largest project of the summer by far had to be organizing the Community Fair. Each year, Career Services holds the fair in order to help both new students and returning students get acquainted with some of the businesses that Crawfordsville has to offer. Each year around 75 businesses attend and nearly 600 students show up to see the fair. In order to get the businesses’ attention, my partner and I traveled throughout Crawfordsville to find businesses that would be interested in being a part of the Community Fair. Since I am not from around Crawfordsville, I was baffled at how many businesses there were in Crawfordsville. For more information about the upcoming event, go to www.wabash.edu/careers/fair.

As part of my internship as a project and event management intern at the Schroeder Center for Career Development at Wabash College, I took the opportunity to plan an externship with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The officer who escorted me on my externship was Patrolman Leon Essig, a police officer of eleven years. I plan on pursuing a career somewhere in the field of law enforcement after I graduate from Wabash College and I wanted to take this opportunity to see some of the responsibilities that a career in law enforcement would entail.

This internship has been worthwhile knowing that the work I put in this summer will help both current and future students with their careers and hopefully their Wabash experience as well. The skills that I have developed will prove to be very beneficial to me and the wonderful people that I have met throughout my internship have helped improve the way that I think about Wabash. I would like to thank the Schroeder Center for Career Development for hiring me as a summer intern.  I have enjoyed working with everyone here and look forward to seeing what becomes of the plans that we have though out the year.

Josh Jones

Wabash College ‘14

Terrance Pigues ‘14 –As I shake hands with alumnus Tim Lyons ’91 in the lobby of where my internship is located, I can feel that something isn’t right.

We walk into the office of Wasabi Rabbit and what I originally interpreted as a room of future coworkers laughing and enjoying their job, quickly became room filled with silence and greetings. I couldn’t put my finger on what this eerie feeling was that I received. Suddenly, my boss invited to his office and shut the door. He said, “You know Terrance, you don’t need to wear a suit. It’s summertime in New York City…”. Finally a sign of relief came over me and all I could think about getting back to Scott Crawford’s office to fuse at him about how his work-attire policy made me an outcast on my first day on the job! But as soon as I had mastered the professional New York summertime style, the magic at the office began to unfold.

This internship has taken me for an adventure from the very first day on the job, and I’m not done yet. After I got the chance to meet everyone at the office and briefings were done (in reference to what I would be doing for the next couple of weeks), my duties as an account executive intern were underway.

With an understanding of what I was supposed to do and a good ole’ Wabash alumnus as my boss, Tim threw me into the world of marketing/advertising head-first to work with him in the digital world.

Getting Into It

My job started in full swing! There was no time to ease my way into the workload because a lot needed to be done and we were the ones responsible for getting it done. As you can imagine, the first week was rough. And it wasn’t just the workload that made it so either. My internship started mid-summer because I was completing a study-abroad program in Shangahi, China. Upon my arrival back to the US, I was severely jet-lagged, but that didn’t stop me from going straight to New York from China. Every day of the first week I was in bed by 10pm. It was also brought to my attention that I wasn’t the only intern in the office as well that I was one of three interns here! This really pushed me to speed up my learning curve; I didn’t want to slow down progress because I was the “new guy”. Everything  my boss discussed with me I googled, so I could learn what he was talking about and  learn how to do it. I stayed later than all other employees my first week and spent that time reading information about the digital marketing industry  and bringing myself up to speed with everyone else. I reviewed client info with my boss and even learn how to use certain programs that he used to help understand how users would interact with websites (user interface) in a few days. We then put my new found abilities to work and developed presentations to show to clients all in the first week! To top things off, my boss and I enjoyed an eleven hour workday , my first Friday, to finish up some documents that needed to be completed before the weekend. This was my introduction to New York City…

The CEO wants to meet.

My second week on the job, John Mustin (the CEO of Wasabi Rabbit) returns from a meeting in Washington, DC. I had already had my workload nearly full to capacity but then I receive a Skype chat from the CEO which read, “let’s meet in my office in 15 minutes.” He called that meeting to explain what he wanted me to do for the company during my internship. In addition to already working with my boss and his clients, now the CEO wanted me to help update their company website with wide array of new information. He also has me taking the lead to plan a small conference for Wasabi Rabbit, which will take place in the fall. That task is the easiest because I can use my skills developed over time as the PR Chair for the Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies. However, for the rest of the action items, I would be putting in some serious work!

My boss ditches me!

A couple weeks in, I learn that my boss has a vacation coming up very soon. After asking him whether or not I would receive a vacation and being told no, Tim explains to me that I would still be meeting with his clients and finalizing some variables for him. And so I did. Tim’s second in command and myself met with the clients this week and finalized everything that he needed of us while he is away. And I’ve still been working on multiple projects as well. He won’t be disappointed when he returns.

“Concrete jungle where dreams are made of…”

Thanks to the Small Business Internship Fund, being in New York has definitely been a fun experience. The people are always moving. The city is bustling. And most importantly, I’m enjoying the opportunities here. I used the career services mentor link to locate alumni and meet with them as well because no Wabash funded internship should is complete without networking with post-graduate Wallies! I enjoyed an awesome birthday and even got treated by a “Danni” too. All around,  I’ve experienced an awesome city with a lot of diversity.  And who can forget about standing in Time Square, starring at a giant poster of the epic movie, “The Dark Knight Rises”. Currently, I still a few weeks left so I should probably get back to work while my boss is on vacation because secretly, “I’m running the show.”

Terrance Pigues ‘14

Troy Meyers ’13 – Why do students get summer internships? This question yields two answers. One response is because all students want to make money over the summer. Which is 100% true. No one wants to be stuck at Wabash with no money to buy books or other items used during the weekend to pass time! The second answer to my question is students want to find a career path that interests them and possibly obtain a job because of their internship. Luckily for me, and thanks to the Small Business Internship Fund,  I have been able to accomplish both!

Working for Tim Craft ’00 at CBRE, commercial real estate company, has surpassed all my expectations and provided me with opportunities I could not have foreseen. Being my second summer with Tim, he was adamant about making this summer’s experience comparable to being a newly employed real estate agent. For this to happen, I spent the first month of the summer getting my real estate license so I would not be prohibited from doing all the tasks of a broker.

Once I got started, Tim told me this summer was about building my book of business and getting potential clients. I quickly learned why some people hate “cold calling”! Spending most of your day getting blank stares from people or getting rejected is not ideal for most, but meeting that one person who listens to you and becomes your best client is what keeps you going. I enjoyed being able to talk to so many people and build relationships with potential clients.

In one circumstance, the client needed to relocate but was unsure where would be the best fit. With the help of Tim, I am in the process of moving her into a better location that will allow her business to grow. Not only was it a win for her, it provided me with the experience of the transaction and a nice bonus to take care of those school expenses!

Now that the summer is coming to an end, Tim wants to meet with the office manager and get me lined up to for a job with CBRE upon graduation in May 2012!

Carl Rivera ’13 – Wouldn’t it be cool to have a job where every morning you wake up knowing you are going to make a new friend from a different state, country or even continent? Well that’s my job…for the summer at least. Thanks to the Small Business Internship Fund, this summer I am interning for Jason Bridges ’98 at Nantucket Bike Tours in Nantucket, Massachusetts. When I told my friends in the great state of Indiana this exciting news, I received two responses: 1.  “You’re spending the summer on Nantucket Island? That’s awesome! How did you get that?” or 2. “Where’s that?” For those of you who know of Nantucket, need I say more? For those of you who don’t know of this beautiful Island, do some research or take a tour!

Working with Jason has being nothing short of spectacular.  Jason’s enthusiasm and passion for his business has increased my desire to start my own business. Every day we look at QuickBooks to see how we can increase revenue and decrease costs. We are constantly looking for new marketing techniques to increase our visibility from improving the website or our t-shirts to posting a photo on Facebook or creating new rack cards. As a small business, we are constantly brainstorming ways in which NBT can expand. During this internship, Riley Floyd ’13 and I have had the opportunity to work with Jason and Courtney in creating a new segment of NBT, Nantucket Running Tours.

One thing I have learned from Jason is whether it’s posting a comment on Facebook or walking downtown to grab an iced coffee, we are constantly branding ourselves. In a small community like Nantucket or Crawfordsville, it is hard to not be visible. Lending a helping hand or even giving a stranger a smile can go a long way. Throughout the internship, I have been reading Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Jason and I have daily discussions about our past experiences with what Carnegie presents and also how we can practice these tools in our tours. Every tour is different. That means, as a guide, we must be aware of facial expressions, body language, and different clues on how the person is feeling and what interests them. Some clients are huge history buffs and want all the information I can give them while some love taking pictures and just want to enjoy some company. Our goal as a guide is to give each client the best experience he/she can have on Nantucket and that experience is different for everyone.

This internship has given me a great opportunity to learn how to properly run a small business, network, and adapt to different people. Every day, I increase my knowledge of business, meet new enthusiastic people, and ride my bike…all on Nantucket Island. Not bad for a summer internship, huh?

Carl Rivera ‘13

Tyler Hardcastle ’15 – This summer I’m interning with both of Andrew Shelton’s ’03 companies, TrackPack Coolers and Paramount Mold. J.J. Peller ’13 is also interning here in Fort Lauderdale and both of us are funded by the Small Business Internship Fund. In his blog earlier this summer, http://blogs.wabash.edu/littlegiants-bigresults/2012/06/07/insight-to-running-a-small-business/, J.J. wrote about our work with Paramount, a plastics company, so I though I’d write more about TrackPack Coolers.

The TrackPack chills twenty beverages that can be accessed from the backpack’s side pockets.  This is made possible by a plastic frame, placed inside the cooler (check out the video here, http://www.trackpackcoolers.com/servlet/StoreFront?disp=6#trackpackvideo. After acquiring Paramount Mold, Andrew Shelton moved the production of his frames to the factory. In the early weeks of our internships, J.J. and I were able to learn about the plastic injection process by watching (and helping) produce the frames for TrackPack Coolers.

The process begins when small pellets of soon-to-be plastic called “resin” are fed into a press where they are heated. When the resin is hot enough it is quickly injected through a barrel into a mold. As the mold fills with heated plastic the shape of the product, in this case the TrackPack frame, begins to form. When the product has been shaped, the mold cools and splits into its two halves and metal pins eject the product.

Last weekend we loaded the TrackPack RV with plenty of bags, frames, gel-packs, and headed up to the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona Beach, FL. TrackPack Coolers got its start at NASCAR races around Indiana, so Adam Andrews ’12 and Andrew Shelton wanted to start building a base of races to attend closer to the company’s new location.

We arrived early in the morning, the day before the race. Even before we had parked and unpacked our trailer three people came up and asked us how quickly they could buy a cooler. We broke even on the second day and kept selling from that point on.

The whole weekend was a great experience in learning how to make sales but also in how to plan an event for a small business. Going into the weekend, we had to budget out gas (an RV takes quite a bit), make sure we had the right inventory, and most importantly find a good location.

I am thankful to the SBIF, Andrew Shelton, and Wabash College for providing this opportunity. I encourage perspective and current students alike to pursue this program.

Tyler Hardcastle

Wabash College ’15

Adam Boehm ’15 –Within my first couple days of interning with Career Services I was told to make a LinkedIn account.  Simple.  I began as I would with any other social media account by filling out my personal information and writing a brief bio.  In the Job Title line for my current position I entered “Project & Event Management Intern”.  The description for the position, well… that was unknown to me.  To be honest, I had very little knowledge of what I would be doing for the summer.  I was told to leave this description section blank until I knew more of what I was doing with the internship.  Now, over two months into the job, the description is still blank.

With the time I’ve spent under the direction of Scott Crawford, James Jeffries, and Angie Bridwell, I now have a much stronger grasp of what I am doing, as well as a much greater appreciation for everything the Career Services department does for the Wabash community.  From exploring a college owned area in the woods known as “The Patch”, managing the department’s social media, and editing resumes, to connecting with alumni, planning a trip to Chicago, and organizing the 7^th Annual Wabash College Community Fair, I have definitely stayed busy.

I have many responsibilities working as a Project & Event Management Intern.  In the first week of work I went through Peer Career Advisor training.  This training was an essential part of my internship, as it not only taught me valuable skills involving resume editing and career advising, but also helped to familiarize myself with the numerous resources Career Services offers.  One of the biggest obstacles Career Services runs into is getting students to utilize their many resources and expertise.  Part of my job has been to come up with ways to increase student involvement.  After days of brainstorming we were able to come up with several great ideas that we are in the process of developing (Trust me, you’ll love them!).

Along with the new ideas, we’ve also created a brand new social media resource on Pinterest!  This has been a fun project for me to work on and includes loads of great information about how to dress for an interview, resume advice, Career Services resource links, fun infographics, intern spotlights, and much more.  Check out what I’ve been working on at www.pinterest.com/wabashcareer!

Although most of my time is spent in the Career Services building, I have been able to get out on my feet and meet with many of the Crawfordsville businesses to discuss the upcoming Community Fair.  This will be the 7^th annual fair and is looking like it will be a great success!  Preparing and organizing the event has by far taken up the majority of my time each day.  Putting together an event that is host to nearly 75 vendors and 600 attendees is no easy task – not to mention designing the event T-Shirt and hiring a caterer.  Needless to say, I’ve taken a few steps outside my comfort zone preparing an event this size.  For more information about the upcoming event, go to www.wabash.edu/careers/fair.

This internship has been quite rewarding knowing that the work I put in this summer is going to help both current and future students with their futures and careers.  The skills I’ve developed, exposure to the real world, and the professional experience have been vastly beneficial to me.  These are all things that I will carry into the future as I continue my Wabash and professional careers.  I would like to thank the Schroeder Center for Career Development for hiring me as a summer intern.  I have loved working with everyone here and look forward to seeing our ideas come to life at the start of the school year.

Now, back to work I go as we finish the last night of our trip in Chicago!

Jim Youn ’14 – In D.C. Each morning, I’m shaken from my sleep by the noise that seeps in from outside; the hustle and bustle of the people of D.C., the morning construction crews, and the sound of my roommate’s alarm.

I get to work and get there on time, which means early, because of the fear of the real world. I know that in college I was cuddled and never faced the full consequences of my actions. However, in the world of the employed, there are no such things as second chances. With very limited experience in  a professional environment, I wanted to make sure that I got off to a great start. In a way, this fear of mine becomes a sort of respect for the professional world.

However, to call my workplace an environment driven by fear would be a grave mistake. My desire to get to work on time comes from a respect for what Eric Eversole ’94 brings to the table in his organization. Eric founded and directs the Military Voter Protection Project (MVP Project), a non-profit organization bent on improving the electoral process for military voters. His efforts supporting the MVP Project has slowly but surely begun a reaction that hopefully will become the catalyst to directing attention towards the plight of our servicemen.

My contribution towards this goal has been as the media arm of our organization. Working alongside my partner-in-crime, Andrew Dettmer ’15, I’ve experienced a great deal of responsibilities that have expanded my knowledge and given me confidence in my work. Together, we’ve worked daily to expand MVP Project’s range of interests. Establishing and expanding Facebook pages, attracting Twitter users, and contacting other partner organizations are just several of our duties that occupy our time each day.

While we may not always be successful with our methods, we learn from them. My experience at MVP Project has been filled with revisions and adjustments but each mistake made has been a lesson for me. Eric and the rest of the staff here at MVP Project have guided me on the how-to’s and do-not’s of this area of social media and extended a hand when I felt lost in the hustle and bustle of the ceaseless work environment. As a student looking into a field of law, I get the best of two worlds in a group that uses both litigation and the media to serve its goals.

With approximately 4 weeks left in D.C., I earnestly hope that there will be much more learning and fun on the way. I’m both thankful to Wabash’s Career Services, The Small Business Internship Fund, Eric, Andrew, as well as Tyler for making this a fantastic summer. Here’s to catching a big one on the Potomac!

 Shimin Ian Low ’13 – I am interning at a WP Global Partners (“WP”) under the watch of alumni, Greg Jania. To briefly introduce my internship, WP is a private equity Firm which deals mainly with fund-of-funds which means that WP mainly invests in the funds of other private equity firms rather than the usual direct investment in private companies.

My typical day involves sitting in and taking notes on investment pitches from other private equity firms which are seeking funding for their investments. While it may seem to others like an unimportant task, the meetings are crucial for us to sieve through the hundreds of funds in the market before we make any investment decisions which usually amount to only 3-4 investments a year. My work also involves sieving through various pitch books and memorandums for investment terms which are then compiled in to a deal log which is discussed over a meeting every week to determine whether or not to move forward with certain deals.

My other projects include reading through financial statements on companies that we directly and indirectly invest in through funds in order to track their quarterly performance. Throughout this project, I have gained valuable insight on what key ratios and indicators are used to determine the situation of a company or investment and why they are used. Aside from that, I have also been privileged to participate in writing deal reviews for potential investments which include writing up on a company and its performance as well as the general market and growth potential. This has been challenging and has certainly pushed myanalytical abilities and my ability to learn on the spot.

My time in WP has offered me a lot. Through the projects and tasks which I do daily, I have been exposed to the hard work which goes behind the deal making. Meeting high net worth clients on an almost daily basis has been inspiring, driving my spark to succeed in whatever I may attempt in my life. I appreciate this opportunity for being able to experience and appreciate the work that goes into private equity as well as the chance to amass practical experience which I will need to break into the world of finance.

My special thanks also goes out to Greg Jania for being a wonderful mentor during my time here as well as Career Services and the Small Business Internship Fund for making this possible. I encourage students to apply for this internship in the near future should they be interested in breaking in to the field of finance and to prepare ahead of time.

Jason Bridges '98, Riley Floyd '13

Riley Floyd ’13 – Last week, I rode 22 miles on a bike and ran a 5k-road race. And that was only Tuesday.

My internship with Nantucket Bike Tours has been nothing if not active. I’ve learned more about biking and about hospitality than I thought possible. I’ve seen so much of Nantucket that the island legitimately feels like a second home.

But the crux of this internship isn’t about the great history, the amazing food, or the fantastic people that make this place what it is. The crux of this internship is a small business. Who knew owning your own small business could be so much fun? Jason started Nantucket Bike Tours last year. And 71 (and counting) Trip Advisor reviews later, the business is the number one tour on Nantucket—thanks in no small part to the welcoming, easy going, and fun-loving atmosphere Jason and Courtney create for their customers.

The business is small: there’re only four of us working. Instead of having revenue projection meetings with anonymous colleagues, we gather around an iMac and talk about QuickBooks printouts. We decide, as a group, what pictures we want to appear on the website, how we want the copy to read, and what aesthetic we want to convey to site visitors. Here, there’s access—to understanding the workings of a small business, to friendships, and to learning more about yourself. And that access can only be found on the ground, in the thick of it—not in a classroom at Wabash or even at a business school.

A good tour isn’t based on how well you know the facts. It’s about how you talk to people. And Jason and Courtney are experts. They’ve taught Carl and I how to adapt to the different people and interests we encounter on tours. They don’t like history? Skip this stop. Averse to hills? Take this route. The fun (and the challenge) of this internship is gauging people: their interests, their enthusiasm, and how well they react to your tour. This business is about people, and that’s why this internship has been such an informative experience.

Nantucket is an active, vibrant community. We’re here to show those attributes to everyone who takes our tours. We want them to have a good time—to walk away from the tours as if their friend just showed them around a familiar place. That’s what makes Nantucket Bike Tours unique. Engaging with people—talking to them, learning about their interests—is something I’ll do for the rest of my life. NBT pushed me out of my comfort zone in an industry in which I hadn’t had much experience. Because of the lessons I’ve learned here, the skills I’ve honed, and the relationships I’ve formed here, I’ve grown.

Did I mention I can change a flat?