Luke Podgorny ’20 LABB Intern – I would first like to thank the Lilly Endowment for funding such a great program that has given me an experience of a life time. Secondly, I would like to thank Mr. Roland Morin and Mr. Nicholas Pollock for running such a well-organized program for all of my co-workers and I. Today, I am fortunate enough to be able to talk about my experience during week 7 as I am sure we all enjoyed week 7 the most. All in all, I knew coming into this internship that I would have at least a few experiences that would make it very worth it, which was saying a lot as I really didn’t have the best idea of what to exactly expect. Now, my assumption has been blown away because this internship was more than I ever could’ve expected it to be. Week 7, to sum it up in a very blunt way, would best be described as: life changing. Mr. Morin provided us the opportunity to visit Chicago on an overnight stay to present our Mobile App business plans to a panel of 5 alumni and friends of the college. We departed mid-day from Wabash College in route to The Windy City. After we arrived, we were treated to a private event that was used as a time to network with alumni located in or around Chicago.
During this experience, I am lucky enough to say that I was able to network with many different men that have very different professions and career paths. I was able to network with alums from Law School and others that are in hiring positions in big corporations, giving me many perspectives and advice for later in life. The next day is when we presented our business plans. I was very nervous entering the room as the panel of judges, or angel investors, were very reputable and respectable gentlemen. One of which being the Vice President of the Federal Reserve in Chicago. After our presentations, the angel investors asked questions and then in return, gave us advice that was very helpful. Some stayed after for a lunch to talk more with us around a nice meal and others had to leave to go back to work. This experience helped me realize that the sky is the limit in business and that would’ve never happened without this program. Networking with various alumni has given me a much greater understanding of business and where I could see myself in it. I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship this summer and have been able to build on a variety of skills that I will use the rest of my life. Again, I would like to thank the Lilly Endowment, Mr. Roland Morin, and Mr. Nicholas Pollock for their generosity and providing me with an experience of a life time.
