Lessons I learned from my Summer Interns

It has been several years since we last hired marketing interns.  This year we had two outstanding marketing students from Northern Arizona University, both with dual majors - Victor Martinez, marketing and management, and KaitlynMcNalley, marketing and finance.  They have worked on a variety of projects during their summer internship at Stowebridge and have added a lot to the various projects they have been involved in.

I trust this was a valuable experience for them, but I also benefited greatly from working with them.    While I understand my business inside and out – they made it clear to me that there are some simple basics I have not taken time to articulate.  There is always room for more clarity.

Here are some of the lessons I learned from them:

Be inspired by all the world has to offer

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Be open to trying something you have never tried before

Be open to trying ideas you tried in the past but find ways to make it work better.  (Don’t be quick to explain why something has already been done and why it won’t work.)

Make new friends

Embrace and integrate new technology

Communicate in new ways – to reach more of your audience – Facebook, Blogging

Dig deeply – the answers are out there 

Live in awe of people and things that may have become mundane

Be grateful for every opportunity

Be generous to others – if you saw Kate's picture when she started you will see her new shorter bobbed hair cut – the result of donating her hair to help others.

These are fantastic lessons for all of us.  We get out of college and sometimes lose sight of these.  I am thankful to Victor and Kate for opening my eyes. 

(We are pleased to report that Victor will continue as a sales person while he finishes his last semester at NAU.)

Note: We have two outstanding interns working on websites for us – Edward Hietter and Aaron Harrington, both from the University of New Mexico.  I don’t think I could begin to articulate how amazed I am at all they do and know.  I will never, ever know all that they know – I am just thankful they are on my team!