Throughout the 2020-2021 internship year, Genesys Works young professionals and supervisors have gone above and beyond to pursue a fulfilling and growth-filled experience. Due to the pandemic, working from home became the norm and yet, both young professionals and supervisors have turned challenges into opportunities and have created meaningful internship experiences nonetheless.

This May, as the end of the school year approaches and we welcome the new class of students into skills training this summer, we wanted to feature some of the accomplishments and achievements from this year’s Making Internships Meaningful series.

Internship Win: Communication & Collaboration

Intern Pao Xiong, Fairview Health Services

Pao and his supervisor Steve practiced their communication skills by regularly talking through project planning and requirements via virtual meetings and Microsoft Teams. During a pandemic, these skills have shown to be even more important, and Steve appreciated Pao’s willingness and determination to go above and beyond.

Interns Maabe Yaya, Ahni Xiong, and Halle Amankwah-Akuffo, TCF Bank

Through extensive communication and collaboration, these three go-getting interns teamed up with each other – and with the support of their supervisors – to complete an extensive and important project for TCF Bank, which included moving files into various servers as part of the merger with Huntington Bank.

Internship Win: Growing & Developing New Skillsets

Supervisor Andy Evans, 3M

Andy and Josue have worked well together since the start of the internship. Josue completed his projects diligently and expressed interest in other fields at 3M, such as programming. Because of his commitment to Josue’s professional growth, Andy connected him to other team members, giving Josue the opportunity to learn specifically about the programming skillset.

College Intern Zalma Aden, Accenture

Zalma set her eyes on building an extensive professional network at Accenture right away at her internship. With the help of her new supervisor Andrew, she has had the opportunity to meet with senior executives at the company, individuals who can ultimately help kickstart her career.

Internship Win: Unwavering Support & Dedication

Intern Guleid Eleie, Ameriprise Financial

Guleid has a great deal of respect for his supervisor Raj. To support Guleid, Raj has provided him with extensive resources and connections at Ameriprise, ultimately leading to a fulfilling internship. From there, Guleid has been able to excel and succeed in his internship due to the support he gets from Raj and other coworkers like Barb.

Supervisor Angie Stensrud, Prime Therapeutics

Angie’s intern Christina appreciated how considerate and accommodating Angie was, even calling her “one of my ‘prime’ advocates.” Angie was readily available for Christina for whatever support she needed, and that strong foundation led to valuable work opportunities for Christina at Prime Therapeutics.

Check out the rest of our inspiring 2020-2021 Making Internships Meaningful series features below!

Intern Frances Sehneah, Target

France’s supervisor Delight admired her motivation in achieving great work, even in the first few weeks of her internship. Her can-do spirit highlighted her willingness to seek out a meaningful internship experience during her time at Target.

Supervisor Chad Killian, Optum

Chad was praised by his intern George for his commitment to welcoming him to the team and laying a strong foundation for their success. In the initial weeks of his internship, George was able to prioritize learning about the team and adjusting to the new challenges of a corporate job through Chad’s guidance.

Intern Oscar Garcia, Ecolab

Oscar showed dedication to his internship by being responsive and maintaining consistent communication in his new experiences. Oscar’s personality was patient and engaging, important traits to kick off a rewarding internship experience.

Supervisor Ian Holmes, Bremer Bank

Ian has been a great role model for Billy in gaining knowledge and confidence. He’s been a support system through guidance, supervision, and constant communication, making himself available to answer any questions Billy has throughout the day.

Supervisor Mary Denler, Amplifon

Mary has encouraged her intern Rosalinda to set up informational interviews with other team members and provided her more project ownership by ensuring she has the required resources and tools she needs. This has built a stronger sense of responsibility in college intern Rosalinda.

Intern Karen Fahim, Deluxe Corporation

David admired Karen’s willingness to work hard and remain diligent with her tasks. Karen has consciously strived to learn new skills at Deluxe, which gave her more range to expand her role and pursue different job responsibilities.

Supervisor Kimberly Vchulek, Cargill

Since the onset of Abdirahman’s internship, Kimberly maintained daily communication and provided support and mentorship to him. Together, they brainstormed and talked through ways he can improve his skills to be more confident and comfortable in his role. She has been a great resource for Abdirahman and a compassionate supervisor.

Behind the Scenes of the 2020-2021 Making Internships Meaningful Series: My name is Amal Kayse, and I am a current junior at the University of Minnesota and a marketing and communications college intern at Genesys Works. I have had the privilege of working on the Making Internships Meaningful series this year, featuring many wonderful individuals and meaningful experiences. Through the series, I have grown my own skills and experience and learned a lot about writing content. I sincerely enjoyed all of the stories I’ve gotten to hear and celebrate this year!