Intern Feature: Zalma Aden, Accenture
Genesys Works Twin Cities has more than 310 amazing young professionals in our program – engaged and motivated interns – working towards career success. For our December Making Internships Meaningful feature, we are recognizing Accenture intern Zalma Aden who was nominated by her supervisor Andrew Jison for her positivity and determination to make her time at Accenture as fulfilling as possible.
Zalma works on the Minneapolis innovation team at Accenture, serving clients and working on innovation efforts. As a college intern, Zalma has demonstrated her organizational skills and her ability to be detail-oriented. Recently, she created an agile project plan to ensure she stays on task and completes her work in a diligent manner. Additionally, Andrew and Zalma maintain consistent communication to establish both her accomplishments and the work yet to be completed.
Supervisor Andrew appreciates many professional qualities in Zalma, expressing to her, “You have taken everything we have given to you in stride and have done an amazing job adding value right away.” At Accenture, she’s not only added value to the team but has made extensive progress in growing her natural leadership abilities.
For example, Zalma is building an extensive professional network at Accenture. Through her supervisor Andrew, she has had the opportunity to meet with senior executives at the company, individuals who can ultimately help kickstart her career. And, she’s matched this incredible access with her own organizational skills and vision for her future by creating a system to track her weekly networking goal and further her professional development.
As a college intern, Zalma has gained enough experience to provide some promising advice for other high school and college young professionals in the program: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Even if you think it is a ‘dumb’ question, ask away, as you might be able to gain new information you didn’t know beforehand.” Through her experiences, Zalma has recognized that supervisors are not only a support system but can also provide considerable opportunity for growth and professional development.
Zalma’s time at Accenture has already proven to be incredibly fruitful. Matching access to a professional network through a supportive supervisor to personal determination and vision is undoubtedly a winning recipe for success.
Zalma graduated from the Genesys Works high school program after completing her internship at Allianz Life. She has continued pursuing opportunities with Genesys Works throughout her college career. While at Accenture, Zalma attends the University of Minnesota studying Business and Marketing Education.
Supervisor Feature: Ian Holmes, Bremer Bank
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 December installment of the 2020-2021 Making Internships Meaningful series, we recognize Ian Holmes, a supervisor at Bremer Bank, for his part in creating a productive atmosphere for intern Billy Cheng and four others throughout his work experience.
Billy, along with other interns on the team, are responsible for imaging laptops and desktops for new hire employees at Bremer Bank. They also work with troubleshooting incidents and learn about management processes. Throughout his day-to-day tasks, Billy has appreciated Ian’s knowledge and confidence as a supervisor, trusting his guidance and instruction. In addition to his technical guidance, Ian is a support system for interns by maintaining consistent communication and being readily available to answering any questions they have.
Ian has enjoyed his experience as a supervisor for Genesys Works young professionals at Bremer. Why? According to him, they’ve motivated him to be a good mentor, leader, and role model. Ian seeks to help his interns reach their full potential in many ways, stating, “We are constantly working to improve the intern’s technical skills, troubleshooting abilities, and communication skills.” Ian believes that the interns bring out the best in him and his teammates, and his work as a Genesys Works supervisor even inspired him to get his degree, as well!
At Genesys Works, we know that supervisors like Ian are critical for our young professionals as they build their pathway to career success. With the right leadership in place and the opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects, they can gain the necessary skills for their future and build upon their technical and professional knowledge. Plus, supervisors can benefit greatly from the management experiences and relationships they form with their interns, and Ian is a powerful example of that.
Ian is a Field Systems Engineer at Bremer Bank. Since the onset of the Genesys Works Twin Cities program in 2008, Bremer Bank has been a partner providing meaningful internship experiences. Ian has contributed several years of meaningful expertise and leadership to young professionals.
