December 2018 Feature: Making Internships Meaningful

December 5, 2018

Stories

Twin Cities

Supervisor Feature: Genesys Works Twin Cities is grateful to have over 200 supervisors in our network of devoted IT and business professionals that support and mentor our young professionals. This December, we want to recognize Jody Thraen at Abbott, nominated by her intern NouJee Lor, for her phenomenal work as a Genesys Works supervisor. 

Jody believes that by explaining how Abbott functions as a company, her interns can connect their work back to the larger company mission. Additionally, when Jody rolls out assignments to NouJee, they discuss how a specific assignment connects to team and company goals. NouJee shared, “So far, I’ve been working on a few tasks that I never knew could have a big impact on other people.” Jody’s willingness to include context makes NouJee feel valued, which in turn, gives her excitement in coming to work each day. Jody currently has NouJee working on metrics, which the team uses in meetings and their daily work. Jody has also instilled a sense of trust and responsibility in NouJee by tasking her with deciding the structure and format in which she wants to display team metrics. Jody provided context for what should be done but allowed NouJee to show her creativity and critical thinking skills as she presents metrics each week.

When our young professionals complete their internship, the most common thing they share is how grateful they are for the impactful relationships developed during their internship. Jody is an excellent example of a supervisor who intentionally builds relationships with interns. She ensures that she and NouJee start each day by checking in on each other. NouJee shared, “I really enjoy the conversations we share when I come to work and checking in on how each other’s day went. I find it very helpful to start my day of work with a positive conversation, so thank you.” Jody’s ability to create a comfortable environment makes the internship experience meaningful. NouJee asks questions, pushes herself to take on more challenging work, and takes pride in how she is executing for Jody and Abbott. Lastly, Jody emphasizes the importance of building a professional network. With this in mind, NouJee was tasked with delivering mail to the team to ensure NouJee is building relationships with the entire department at Abbott. Now, NouJee has the opportunity to consistently connect with a variety of people because of Jody’s willingness to intentionally assign tasks like delivering mail.

On behalf of Genesys Works, we thank Jody for her demonstrated commitment to making a meaningful internship experience for Genesys Works young professionals.

Intern Feature: Genesys Works Twin Cities has over 280 amazing young professionals in our program – engaged and motivated interns working towards career success in their future. This December, we are recognizing Amal Yusuf, an Irondale High School senior and a young professional at Deluxe Corporation. Amal’s supervisor Katrina Brinatte nominated Amal based on the dedication Amal shows each day in her internship. 

Amal wants to pursue a career in technology later in life, and she is off to a great start in her internship at Deluxe! One of the qualities that Katrina appreciates most is Amal’s curiosity. Katrina shared, ” will ask questions to ensure she not only understands how to do a task but to understand why a task is done.” Amal’s curiosity gives her the confidence and ability to finish work efficiently and accurately.

In addition to demonstrating curiosity, Katrina has been impressed with the level of ownership Amal shows over her work. When Amal is assigned a task, it is clear that she takes pride in her contributions. Amal prioritizes learning new skills and techniques to ensure she is approaching the assignment in the very best way. When Amal mastered her main tasks, Katrina felt confident enough to extend her role to more challenging work! Amal is now a key contributor in the planning meetings for upcoming projects, something interns have not done in the past. Amal’s work clearly shows the importance of mastering initial tasks as a way to receive more challenging work in the future.

Finally, Katrina has been most impressed with Amal’s hunger for growing as a young professional. Katrina shared, “Amal acts on the feedback given to her and looks for ways to improve her performance.” Amal proactively initiates conversations with Katrina, discussing her career and education goals so that Katrina can keep in mind the tasks she assigns to her.

On behalf of Genesys Works and Katrina, we thank you, Amal, for committing to make your internship meaningful.

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