Summer Internships

Sam Schabel ’15 – Arriving on my first day at Foresight Financial Management, Bryon Foley ‘96 presented the agenda he planned for my eight-week internship. Bryon, on his 17^th year as a financial advisor, told me, “If nothing else, you will learn how to network with others efficiently and effectively.”

Bryon also told me that I would learn how to use different software that helps him with his line of work while learning the basics about financial planning. As I continued to learn more and more throughout the time of my internship, Bryon was the perfect person to be learning from because of his experience in the industry, his talent of within social situations, and his generosity towards others.

Foley '96 and Schabel at work

Well, Bryon was right about learning to network. Bryon is a member of the local Indianapolis networking group, Rainmakers. Rainmakers provide Bryon not only with numerous events to attend but also different education events such as an event called the WOMMM. Luckily, I was able to attend this event which stands for Word Of Mouth Marketing Machine. This event alone taught me several hugely valuable lessons such as setting up goals and finding your target market. If you are an entrepreneur in the Indianapolis area, I highly suggest joining Rainmakers and seeing if it right for you.

When arriving my first day, I did not expect to actually meet so many people and learn how to network correctly. Bryon plans an event each month through Rainmakers called Boomers and Beyond. This event calls on people who have the need to meet Baby Boomers and retirees for the betterment of their business. This event probably has an average attendance of 65 to 80 people each month. The most important lesson Bryon taught me was to not be the person, going from person to person, giving out a business card and attempting to make a sale to that person. Nobody wants to buy that, especially when they go to the event hoping to sell and not buy from someone else. The most effective way to network is to get to know people. The point of the networking meetings is to make relationships with the people there. People do business with people they like, know and trust. If you establish a relationship with someone, they will think of you when giving a friend, or a client a referral.

I cannot thank the Wabash staff and the Wabash alumni for the experience I had this summer enough. I applied for this internship to essentially see if I would enjoy being an entrepreneur. I have had an awesome experience and am seriously considering working in financial services when I graduate or any entrepreneur profession. I especially want to thank Bryon Foley for teaching me throughout the eight weeks of my internship. He has used so many hours out of his day to teach me the basics of financial planning as well as connecting with others. He has always been eager to answer my questions and answered them in a way that I would easily understand. He has given back to his community through service projects and by also telling a potential client, “…it would be best for you NOT to work with me.” He is a selfless human being whom I hope to be my mentor someday if I decide to work within financial services.

Luke Wren ’14 – My internship has been a tremendous opportunity to better understand the problems and perceptions of local “townie” residents in Montgomery County. My job has been to assist the epidemiologist in charge of the Crawfordsville hospital’s county health assessment by asking Montgomery County residents to complete surveys. These surveys can be completed online, by paper, even by smart phone. The surveys come in both English and Spanish. The surveys are divided into four main sections, including Community Issues, Community Services, Health Issues, and Health-Related Services.

More women fill out surveys than men; therefore, the data is separated based on age, gender, race/ethnicity, and income. Although totals have not been counted, it seems in Montgomery County residents perceive teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and underage alcohol consumption as community problems. Additionally, the majority of people who fill out the surveys are earning less than $25,000 annually. The fact that these surveys are anonymous really give one insight into how many Montgomery County residents are suffering through these economic times, and people are far more open with personal problems that they have in their life. Many discuss problems of depression and anxiety along with less serious problems like high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

After reading through and entering hundreds of surveys, many people in our community do not ‘like’ or ‘support’ the local hospital and would rather take their families elsewhere.  This, to me, is very bothersome; I believe a small community like Crawfordsville needs a reliable hospital with a wide range of services. I have learned a lot about the personal problems and frustrations many locals have to deal with on a daily basis. It is very troublesome to see so many single mothers who make very little money and suffer from anxiety and depression. I think these surveys and the report the data will create will give the local hospital a better understanding of what it needs to do to improve its reputation in the community and how they could alter their services to better serve those in need.

In the near future I will be helping Dr. Shen to interpret and compile the data so it can be use to create a easy to understand report. I would like to thank the Lilly Endowment, Inc for this opportunity to help the local community that I have grown up in and continue to reside in. I hope my assistance has been helpful in improving the lives of Montgomery County residents. I believe this report will show areas of need and will allow for a better understanding into how to tackle these problems.

Corey Egler ’15 – Since the last week of May, I have been spending the majority of my summer at historic League Stadium in Huntingburg, IN. I am an intern for a Summer Collegiate Baseball team known as the Dubois County Bombers, whose home stadium is Huntingburg’s League Stadium.

League Stadium was built in 1894 and was used not only as a baseball field, but also a football field, a horse race track, and a fairground.  In 1991, Columbia Pictures chose League Stadium to be the site to film the home of the Rockford Peaches in the film League of Their Own. The stadium was revamped and has become a landmark for the city of Huntingburg since the film was released in 1992.  In 1994, League Stadium was used yet again for the site of a film, HBO’s Soul of the Game. Because of these films being based around the 1940s/1950s era, the people of Huntingburg have kept League Stadium looking like a vintage 40s/50s baseball stadium with old time outfield signs, wooden bleacher seats, and a scoreboard that is maintained by hand.

This year is the 20^th anniversary of the filming of League of Their Own.  League Stadium and the Dubois County Bombers have gone an extra mile this year to raise awareness of this historic stadium by promoting old time baseball, which I have had a huge part in.  The players and coaches wear retro uniforms when playing at home.  The beer maids and ticket girls wear Rockford Peach uniforms.  The old time scoreboard is the only form of scoreboard used during the games.  An organ is used during the games.  The bus that the team travels in has been remodeled to replicate the same bus that the Rockford Peaches traveled in in the film (one side of the bus reads “Rockford Peaches, and the other “Dubois County Bombers”).  Even the mascot has been changed to an old time “Clown Prince of Baseball.”

I came into this internship expecting to be in charge of ticket and merchandise sales, and to come up with new League Stadium merchandise to be sold.  With this internship I wanted to help out my hometown of Huntingburg, IN and aid in putting it on the map.  Not only have I done the expected tasks, I have also been in charge of the office, doing maintenance work around the stadium and on the field itself, opening and closing the stadium on game days, giving tours around the stadium, working with sponsors, owners, and local businesses, and even being this working with sponsors, owners, and local businesses, and even being this year’s mascot during ballgames.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this internship and have gained a whole new passion and respect for this old stadium that I grew up around. I learn new things everyday about the stadium and am able to better apply it to what I do in order to better promote the stadium. This internship helps in displaying what passion and the ability to perform multiple tasks in many areas of work can do, which is what I have learned at this point through my liberal arts education.

John Dykstra ’13 – I learned a two lessons a few hours into the first day of my internship. I could not hide behind email like I have done on a campus; I had to make and take phone calls. And I needed to speak and write with confidence.

The first phone call I received was not for me, but it marked the beginning of many lessons I learned through the internship.

I interned at The Journal Review in Crawfordsville as a news and sports writer, the latter of which I always had an interest in but hardly pursued. I also took photos for stories I covered and learned how to operate a professional camera without using the automatic setting.

The Journal-Review provided me with my own desk, computer, extension number, and email address. Most importantly, the newsroom provided me with a strong network of support and made me comfortable with asking questions often.

Getting over the fear of talking on the phone was the first hurdle I had to jump. The next was preparing to interview people within the community. I was no longer in my niche on campus, where I knew just about everyone to some extent. I was writing for a county, and every quote or piece of information I used was important. Therefore, I strove to ask questions that would receive lengthy, impactful answers.

That was one of my first mistakes. I was mentally writing stories before I even interviewed anyone.

After a few interviews, I began to understand how to approach people with questions. Having a set list of questions going into an interview restricted the potential of the story. I learned to make interviews conversations by starting off with a general question. “Can you tell me about the event? What is the story behind this?” Then, I asked more specific questions.

Interviews and fielding phone calls eventually became second nature to me.

The opportunity to talk to various people about subjects they are passionate about was the best part of the internship. I even had the opportunity to interview Seth Maxwell, President and CEO of Thirst Project.

Having conversation-like interviews also helped uncovered several story opportunities for me to explore.

I was ready to write articles since I was used to writing for The Bachelor and the News Bureau on campus, but I still learned how to write through my internship. I made mistakes using the AP writing style, the standard writing style for journalism, but I received immediate feedback from my supervisors. In addition, my vocabulary expanded, as I would read through articles written by my supervisors and journalists worldwide. I started recognizing patterns of organization, which helped improve my writing style. I learned what quality writing is and gained a significant amount of confidence in my writing as a result.

Interviewing people, writing, and taking photos were not the only tasks I had. I was a co-coordinator for one of the Journal’s major projects, making the Montgomery County Directory. I assigned certain sections to my supervisors and had to compile information about towns, libraries, and state parks in Montgomery County through several phone calls and emails.

Compiling information for the directory gave me an insight into the business side of a newspaper, as did talking to my supervisors. The directory is not just a booklet of phone numbers; it is also an advertising instrument for businesses and state parks, to name a few. Seeing how information becomes an advertising tool helped me learn a few basic principles in marketing.

I had several conversations with my supervisors about social media and how it has impacted paper journalism. Social media provides access to instant information for free. So, social media has impacted the types of stories newspapers run. Local stories make newspapers unique, and Facebook and Twitter can advertise that uniqueness. The Journal-Review posts a few local stories from each issue on its Facebook and Twitter pages, which brings in viewers and potential subscription buyers.

I started my internship by getting over the fear of fielding phone calls, and I ended it with an insight to a future career. I want to pursue a career as a baseball writer once I graduate. The executive sports editor at the Journal often allowed me to write a baseball column. Most of the columns I wrote were about the non-waiver trade deadline. I analyzed every team’s needs and the rumors circulating about which player will end up where by the end of July 31. My baseball coverage will continue beyond July 31. I intend to freelance for the Journal during the school year and decided to start a baseball blog to further the pursuit of my dream career.

Interning for The Journal Review has helped prepare me for life beyond Wabash College. My supervisors not only taught me how to write better in AP style; they gave me the confidence in my writing that I have been searching for. It was and has been an experience for which I will always be thankful.

Casey Shipley ’14 – This summer, I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to intern for Triton Brewing Company.  The purpose of this internship is to learn and experience how to successfully run your own business.  This position offers a lot of diversity by allowing me to participate in all of the different aspects of this operation.

Triton Brewing Company is located in Indianapolis and is less than a year old.  It was founded by Jon Lang, Michael Deweese, and David Waldman ’93, who is a fellow Little Giant.  It is truly amazing how far this company has come in less than a year.  I have witnessed firsthand during my internship how rapidly they are expanding.  In just the past month, they have upgraded their brewing equipment by adding two new 18,600 gallon fermenters, and also a brand new hot water tank.  This progression is a result of the increasing demand for their product.

The three co-founders all have their own area of expertise, which is what contributes to the success of this operation.  Lang is the Director of Brewing, Deweese is the Director of Sales, and Waldman is the Director of Operations.  This internship has allowed me to work under all three of these men which has shown me how much really goes into starting and running your own business.  So far this summer, I have been involved in several aspects of production such as labeling and filling bottles, cleaning and filling kegs, cleaning tanks, and also actually brewing the beer.  I have also been on the road for sales meetings to meet with buyers and potential buyers.  I will soon be working with customers firsthand when I begin serving in our Tasting Room.

Thus far in my Wabash career, I am not sure if I want to pursue a career in business or law, but I feel if I choose the business route that this internship will have me more than prepared for the challenges I would face.  It has taught me how hard work and dedication, along with knowledge and efficiency, can lead you to a successful career.  This experience has also greatly enhanced my liberal arts education.  The day to day activities have benefited my communication skills, as well as my understanding of economics.

I would like to thank the Lilly Endowment, Inc and the alumni of Wabash College for supporting the Business Leaders Program and Indiana internships.  Without their support, this opportunity would probably not have been available to me and I am extremely thankful.  The diversity of this internship at Triton has provided me with life-long experience that will be very beneficial in my future.  I look forward to my remaining time with them before I head back to Wabash.

Chet Turnbeaugh ’14 – My summer internship experience with ShowcaseU Sports has led me to come into contact with new friends, new experiences, and a better appreciation for what it means to be an entrepreneur.  Working as a member of a small team allowed me to really take up an interest in all aspects of the entrepreneurial mindset.  As a consequence of working for a project that is very personalized, I was privileged to get to meet many new parents, potential college players, and coaches.

In meeting these new faces, I had to relate my own college experience through a dual lens.  First and foremost, I was speaking with them on behalf of my employer, ShowcaseU.  Secondly, as a Wabash student and athlete I was forced to give my own spin on the “whole college experience.”  Looking back, I think the softball players were the only ones who were hyped to hear fairy tales about an all-male college. Funny, I still don’t know why.  All joking aside, and believe me there was plenty of time for that between the fifteen hour days spent putting on showcases across the Midwest, the countless hours spent in the car, and everyone’s favorite part of the day—some variation of a southwest style Mexican grill—many burritos were eaten in the making of my internship.

As a hopeful English and Philosophy double major at Wabash, I have been called upon by my professors to think — and think a lot!  Using these skills has taught me to broaden my horizons, explore new ideas, and think critically about what it is I want to do.  However, instead of searching for the “right” answer, as I often did in the past, my internship experience this summer has allowed me to realize that there is no one right answer. In fact, and I say this with a grin, there are MILLIONS!  No two coaches can evaluate a potential player in the same way.  Sure they can agree that his fastball is too slow, or his swing has some holes in it, but at the end of the day it is about what we call “the fit.”

As Wabash men, our students understand the concept behind this fit at an intuitive level.  Many share stories of how they chose Wabash because it just felt like home to them and as an up-coming junior I can say that by now it certainly does.  The magic behind the concept of the fit is that the only one who can determine and adjust the fit, is YOU.  Realizing for myself and helping other people to realize that the only person in charge of your path is the one in the mirror, makes the slim number of job openings in today’s economy not seem so gloomy to a soon-to-be college grad.  In fact, as I’ve always said, I didn’t choose Wabash to get a job; I came to Wabash to learn how to make my own job.  It is in this vein that I shall take up my stake in the corporate world, through showcasing myself, channeling my own talents, and using my unique “fit” in the world to make the most of the opportunities in front of me.

As I tell players eager about their new ShowcaseU profiles, even though the dots are already in front of you (3 clicks of a mouse will literally put your profile in front of any college coach in the country) you still have to connect them all yourself.  Thank you Lilly Endowment for this opportunity and as always Wabash, I’ll continue thanking you, so long as you continue thinking with me.

Jim Martin ’13—The Lilly Business Grant has allowed me to work for the budding non-profit organization, The Sapphire Theatre Company.  So far this has been an enlightening experience as Bonnie Mill and David Orr attempt to create a brand new arts organization in Indianapolis.  I was hesitant to accept this internship because I am not a theatre major and have not acted since middle school, but the responsibilities given to me go well beyond the stage.

One of my first tasks was creating a new youth program for Young Audiences (a program that brings performing arts groups to different schools in Indiana).  The Sapphire would produce this, and different artists and acts would be chosen by us to present at the schools.  My responsibilities involved gathering data from each of the existing acts from the catalogue and create a unique product that would accent the Sapphire Theatre Company—evocative of the market research and competition analysis every business must consider before releasing a new product.

One of the reasons I was hired was due to my experience with video editing, and I have spent the last few days working on a video produced by the Sapphire Theatre Company. They were chosen by their client to film and create a video showing their latest project. All the filming had been completed, but I was charged with compiling the footage and creating a video that could be presented by the company.  In order to avoid copyright infringement, I cannot post the video here, but if the client posts it online at a later date I will return and provide a link.

As I complete each project, I am reminded how extensive the process of creating and running a business can be, as well as the time commitment required by everyone on staff. While I am working within the parameters of my internship, the amount of work my supervisors put in is indicative of how much they care and believe in their organization; it is inspirational for myself as I attempt to create a business.  I am very thankful for this opportunity and look forward to the many challenges ahead.