January 2021 Feature: Making Internships Meaningful

January 19, 2021

Intern Feature: Pao Xiong, Fairview Health Services

Genesys Works Twin Cities has more than 300 amazing young professionals in our program – engaged and motivated interns – working towards career success. For our January Making Internships Meaningful feature, we are recognizing Fairview Health Services intern Pao Xiong, who was nominated by his supervisor Steve Robbins for demonstrating continuous initiative and a strong work ethic in his internship. 

Pao works at Fairview as a Technical Operation Center (TOC) Analyst Associate, and his responsibilities include tasks such as watching over Fairview LogRhythm documentation, helping detect malware and failures for monitoring security control systems, along with other daily tasks. Steve is thrilled to see how Pao has done a complete revamp of the weekly, monthly, and yearly reports for the department and is particularly impressed with his ability to take initiative and be self-driven.

Pao practices strong communication skills with his supervisor and team by participating in virtual meetings and engaging with others through Microsoft Teams, and during a pandemic, these skills have proven even more necessary. His willingness and determination to go above and beyond doesn’t go unrecognized by Steve. “Pao keeps me on my toes, and I have to work harder to keep up with him. This is a great problem to have as a manager.”

The feelings of appreciation are reciprocated by Pao. He not only appreciates his supervisor’s cheerfulness and humor but also his resourcefulness when assigning projects and tasks, which includes encouraging him to speak to other team members for additional guidance.

The experiences Pao has gained through Genesys Works has allowed him to become more observant and attentive while helping him improve his problem-solving skills. Additionally, it’s been an opportunity to learn more about professionalism while working virtually. Says Pao, “Genesys Works and my internship taught me how to handle and be a professional in a virtual environment.”

Looking toward his future, Pao wants to utilize his technical skills and knowledge, such as Excel and security control systems, to build on his experiences and aid himself academically. With his newfound skills, a value work opportunity on his resume, and his driven personality, Pao is set up for success.

Supervisor Feature: Mary Denler, Amplifon

Genesys Works Twin Cities is grateful to have more than 200 supervisors in our network of devoted IT and business professionals that support and mentor our young professionals. In our January installment of the 2020-2021 Making Internships Meaningful series, we recognize Mary Denler, a college internship supervisor at Amplifon, for the encouragement, trust, and guidance she provides her intern Rosalinda Guallpa. 

For two years, Mary has supervised Rosalinda and in that time, has become a role model for her. Rosalinda has not only noticed Mary’s ability to multi-task and her strong work ethic but also continuously received growth opportunities. For example, Mary encouraged her to set up informational interviews with other team members and provided her more project ownership by ensuring she has the tools she needs. This has built a stronger sense of responsibility in Rosalinda: “She has allowed me to take control of certain projects to gain experience and have a sense of responsibility.… When we were still in the office I saw how she managed many tasks at once and admire her work ethic.”

At Amplifon, Mary is a Tax Manager for North American operations. Rosalinda works alongside her and the rest of the team to complete a variety of important tasks. These include processing sales tax returns, processing monthly compliance forms, and being involved with the development of the sales tax system Vertex. Rosalinda appreciates how Mary has placed trust in her by delegating the responsibility of filing returns and paying the tax dues monthly.

In addition to work responsibilities, Mary has also been a great sounding board for advice about school. She advises Rosalinda to take a multitude of different classes to increase her knowledge on different subjects and ideally, gain a better understanding of her future career path. Mary has also stressed the importance of balancing her well-being and health with work. “We want Rosalinda to stay engaged in the routine work of the department.  We also want her to focus on doing very well in school.”

In her second year at Amplifon, Rosalinda continues to be highly valued within their tax department, and with Mary’s direction and intentionality, she continues to gain the confidence to achieve a bright future and strive for more.

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