Last year, before the nightmare of COVID-19 truly hit the United States, I was getting excited anticipating the potential internships I was applying to for the summer before my senior year. Hoping to work at an agency in my hometown, I had my summer planned.
And then, COVID-19 decided to turn that plan completely on its head. All my internships fell through and I was left feeling defeated and unsure where to turn.
Enter my family friend, Sheryl Wohlford. She has been close friends with my family for as long as I can remember. Her and her husband, Doug, own a manufacturing company together, Automation-Plus, Inc. Though I never dreamed nor desired to work in this industry, she reached out with a job offer for my summer.
https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2020/02/14/wichita-couples-are-partners-in-life-business.html
Sheryl is more involved in her Wichita community than most anyone I can think of. She cares deeply about the people around her and is dedicated to developing young people for success.
She offered me the position of Communications Intern, with the challenge of modernizing their small business' communication efforts. My first project was updating their outdated logo to something simple, yet still recognizable.
Before
After
I also shot photo and video of the various part marking equipment they make and sell, headshot updates for the entire staff and stock photos for use on social media. Though these skills come fairly naturally to me at this point in my life, I was working alongside engineers who rarely thought about the importance of a social media presence or a consistent look for their communication to clients.
On top of that, I was also working at a business that did a service I had no knowledge of before working there. I spent time asking questions about what part marking was and how it was accomplished, and learned so much about an industry I normally would have no connection to.
One of the engineers peels back a piece of plastic to reveal the part mark chemically etched into an airplane window.
Nothing about this internship was what I was expecting for that summer, but I can't help thinking it was exactly what I needed. I was pushed far outside my comfort zone and forced to step up and prove my expertise to an entire company.
Beyond the work I actually produced for the company, I was also accepted with open arms into their work family. The entire staff was kind and helpful and made me feel valued and like a part of their team.
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