Ogallala Commons focuses on 12 key assets that are components of great communities. In the same regard, there are 12 ket assets that are vital to a great summer internship. I want to thank OC for their support this summer. I am so glad that I was able to have this experience.
- People: The people you are surrounded by during the summer can make or break the experience. The five other people I worked with this summer were a huge part of my success, I can’t thank them enough.
- Leadership: In this asset, there are two forms: the person leading you and your skills. You will need strong leadership to help you through the tough parts and you will grow as a leader.
- Businesses: Especially during my experience, I worked closely with the business leaders in my community. But with any community internship, you will want to build a relationship with the local businesses so that your support system stronger. I met with business leaders to build a baseline for the business culture in Custer County. This process will be continued by the director of the Custer Economic Development Corporation.
- Conversation: Your projects will not be completed by you and you alone. You WILL NEED to talk to other people and gather more opinions. My conversations with business leaders were my largest task.
- Questions: It is vital to ask questions during your experience. It sounds cliche but there are no dumb questions. “He who asks a question remains a fool for five minutes. He does not ask will remain a fool forever.”
- Understanding: In a community-based internship, it is vital to be understanding. You will have ideas that are rejected and will have to understand that they may have tried that or may just not like the idea. The people that you are working with will also have to be understanding of you. You may not understand the area so they will need to help you.
- Quality of Life: Most community-based internship will be focused on building the quality of life for people in the community. This is what makes people feel comfortable and included in the area.
- Teamwork: This summer, there were six people working in the office. We had to be able to work together on projects and trust each other to do our part. We had a really solid team and we accomplished a lot together.
- Fulfillment: One of the most important workplace factors for Gen Xers is fulfillment. We want to feel like we are meeting our goals and achieving the desired outcomes.
- Music: Noise was definitely necessary for our office. If we weren’t talking and trading ideas there was music or podcasts playing in the background. It was never quite in the office.
- Snacks: It’s also necessary to have good snacks available at all times. People think the best when munching.
- Growth: This summer I grew as a leader, mentor, community developer, and teammate. Each day offered a new challenge and opportunity for personal and professional growth.
