{"id":801,"date":"2015-07-23T17:26:34","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T17:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/?p=801"},"modified":"2015-07-23T17:43:35","modified_gmt":"2015-07-23T17:43:35","slug":"michael-haffner-16-takes-on-nantucket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/2015\/07\/23\/michael-haffner-16-takes-on-nantucket\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Haffner ’16 Takes “On” Nantucket"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Haffner<\/a>
Haffner ’16 with fellow Wabash intern Cole Crouch ’17<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I searched for internships this summer, I knew I wanted to do something unique that would have a lasting effect on my life.\u00a0 I was longing for an internship experience where I truly had to \u201cbuy into\u201d the business.\u00a0 I wanted an experience where I felt like I could make a difference, learn lifelong lessons, and think on my feet.\u00a0 My internship at Nantucket Bike Tours with Courtney and Jason Bridges ’98 has met and exceeded all of these expectations.<\/p>\n

I have learned many things while leading bike tours around this beautiful island 30 miles out to sea.\u00a0 The first lesson I learned was that, when running a small business, one must be \u201con\u201d at all times. \u00a0\u00a0Whether eating out at a restaurant, walking through town, or eating dinner at home while booking a bike tour for the next day, a small business owner must always be \u201con.\u201d\u00a0 In a tight-knit community like Nantucket, one must be smiling, friendly, and eager to seek conversation with others at all times!<\/p>\n

Another valuable lesson I have learned thus far is to be involved in the community.\u00a0 Whether volunteering at a local event, supporting a friend\u2019s endeavor or even just showing up to town meetings, it is important to be involved.\u00a0 Not only does this help create relationships you may not have had, but it also shows that you are a leader in your community. \u00a0We have been given the privilege of a Wabash education and in turn, we have an obligation to give back and lead when possible.<\/p>\n

One of my goals for the summer was to become more comfortable and confident in social environments.\u00a0 In addition to reading and analyzing Dale Carnegie\u2019s How to Make Friends and Influence People<\/i>, Courtney and Jason have put Cole Crouch \u201917, Kazimir Koehring \u201918, and myself in social settings where we need to interact with others.\u00a0 We discuss the importance of body posture, eye contact, and confidence.\u00a0 Being a naturally shy person, this was difficult for me at first.\u00a0 However, after attending events such as the Maria Mitchell Gala, the Samuel Owen Art Gallery, and the Nantucket Comedy Festival, I have become more comfortable when seeking conversations and approaching others.<\/p>\n

\"Haffner<\/a>
Jason Bridges ’98 (center) with wife Courtney are hosting 3 Wabash interns through the Small Business Internship Fund in summer 2015. Haffner ’16, Crouch ’17, and Koehring ’18 are working in both of the Bridges’ businesses: Nantucket Bike Tours and The Handlebar Cafe, for a broad small business operations experience. Bridges have hosted many interns during their 4 years in the SBIF program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to these great lessons, I have improved my ability to think on my feet.\u00a0 It is impossible to predict what will happen on a bike tour or where the day will take us.\u00a0 When running a small business, one must be open to change and have a stable mindset when challenges arise.\u00a0 Whether we\u2019ve been picking up last minute bikes for a tour, fixing bikes, or scheduling last minute customers, I have learned to make quick, responsible decisions.<\/p>\n

As a rising senior interested in a career in dentistry, I am grateful to be learning these lessons now.\u00a0 Meeting different people on the bike tours each day, attending community events, and always being \u201con,\u201d have given me a glimpse of the relationships, interactions, and insights that are all a part of running a successful small business.<\/p>\n

I believe that my entire experience so far will enhance my ability to practice dentistry one day and will allow me to enjoy the relationships I build with my patients. \u00a0I am thankful that Wabash is able to provide great opportunities like this through the Small Business Internship Fund.\u00a0 I see great value in experiencing a small business first hand and I look forward to learning more throughout the summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I searched for internships this summer, I knew I wanted to do something unique that would have a lasting effect on my life.\u00a0 I was longing for an internship experience where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[8,10,96],"class_list":["post-801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-small-business-internship-fund-sbif","tag-business","tag-internship","tag-sbif"],"w_featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2015\/07\/Haffner-Blog-1-768x1024.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":806,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions\/806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/summerinternships\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}