By Alea Wittler
I have now finished my Internship at Vanguard Strategic, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Originally when I started, there was no print shop, but soon after I started they acquired the print shop, where I spent the majority of my internship. Since my dad needed to focus on other projects and work and Chelsey needed to help him with those aspects of the business, I learned all I could from the previous owner. I learned all the printer’s personalities (quirks) and how they work and what specifically they could do. I spent many of my hours cutting paper and gluing them into booklets for the nearby feedlots and trucking companies. I then eventually had to teach Chelsey and my parents so they could do it themselves when I finished the internship and returned to school. I really enjoyed working in this environment, I learned many things some of which include how to answer the phone and write down print orders, interact with people who walked in the door, as well as how to learn from my mistakes and move on. I have accomplished my three goals that I set in the beginning of my internship. 1). Talk to 5 people on the phone. I have definitely talked to more than 5 people on the phone as well as set up the “Leave a message at the beep” message. 2). Make connections with my coworkers as well as with people who walk through the door. I feel that I have reached this goal as I have grown closer to my co workers as well as made personal connections with people who walk in the door. One funny incident that happened was an older couple who knew my mom, when she was younger, walked in wanting photos printed and they thought I was my mom almost the whole time I was helping them. I finally figured out that they thought I was Trina, and explained that I was her daughter. We all had a good laugh. 3). Set up a leadership activity for my 4-H club. I along with Katie Babb set up a faux fair interview as a practice for our younger members to help them prepare for their 4-H judging. I really enjoyed working in Vanguard Strategic and although I sure won’t be going into printing as a profession, I learned valuable skills that will help me in my future!
