James Despain ’22 — Coming into the fourth week of the Business Innovation Program internship, I had a good understanding of the use of Excel with the help from alumni Zackery Carl ‘18. He came and gave us our Financial Bootcamp. From the general use of Excel to developing a financial statement, I’m well prepared to use Excel in the future but still plan to expand my knowledge with the tool. Whether it is creating a business statement or other financial tools, this bootcamp prepared me for future endeavors. During a site visit, we were able to meet and talk with alumni David Waldman ‘93, the owner of Triton Brewery in Lawrence, IN. Growing up in Lawrence, I had seen the brewery, but never knew the history behind the building and the historic Fort Ben. David shared with us his background and how he was able to distinguish his business from other breweries within the state. David is a prime example that you can do anything with a Wabash degree.
For the internship, we are in the process of developing an app that would be beneficial to consumers. My group and I came up with an idea called SoleSearch. SoleSearch is the latest technology for comparing sneaker prices across the marketplace. The app provides the tools and information to save you money and make sneaker shopping as straightforward as possible. Real-time data allows you to view the entire sneaker marketplace from the palm of your hand without switching from multiple apps.
We also broke into groups and were assigned different consulting projects to help benefit the College. For my group, we are improving the College’s registration process. Our group is incorporating Lean thinking into this process to help make informed decisions. The goal is to make the process of professors getting class information to the registrar smoother and more efficient. By doing this, it makes the job of the awesome folks in the registrar’s office easier and gets information to students quicker and with more detail about classes.
Without the funding from alumni, this experience wouldn’t be possible. Their generosity and passion for making the experience of Wabash students are incredible, and I appreciate being able to enjoy the time and knowledge this internship has been able to offer me. I would also like to thank the CIBE Business Innovation Program for this amazing opportunity.
