The Leadership Center at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber’s Post

The first in a series in which I grow increasingly aware of my mortality as we interview our current crop of interns.

It’s intern season at BFW/Marcum! As we conduct regular check-ins with our interns, we would like to share valuable insights from seasoned professionals. Help us out by answering this question: What makes a great intern? Share your comments below!👇

Great question. A good intern is looking for opportunities to learn new skills and contribute to the projects that they are involved with. We like to talk about engineering being self-directed continuous learning, and interns that exhibit curiosity, that are unafraid of asking questions, and are willing to dig into a little research are going to excel. A good intern mentor and supervisor is planning ahead to identify those opportunities and "clear the deck" for intern participation. This might mean that productivity occasionally temporarily takes a back seat to creating enriching experiences, but that is absolutely a great investment in the long term for the intern and the company.

🚀 Attention HBCU hustlers! Ally Financial and TMCF are on the hunt for the next big entrepreneurs through the Moguls in the Making comp. Represent your school, score up to $20k in scholarships, land an internship, and more. Got what it takes? Step up and shine! #HBCUMoguls #HBCULifestyle #MakeItHappen

I quit my CyBlack internship with the January '24 cohorts for reasons I'll discuss in this post: Interning at Cyblack had been a dream, but it quickly became overwhelming. I was juggling final year projects, school deadlines, and internship tasks, leading to increased stress and aggression. Balancing work and classes was challenging, especially with responsibilities like managing my mom's Instagram account on top of my part-time job in the education sector. Missing meetings and struggling to prioritize tasks became the norm. I found myself torn between the importance of education and the valuable skills from the internship. After tearful discussions with my mom about the financial investment in my education, I realized I had to make a tough choice. I composed a tearful email to CyBlack explaining my decision to resign. Some may wonder why I couldn't delegate tasks for my mom's business. However, the nature of her business and the importance of customer data made it impossible to entrust to just anyone. Despite feeling guilty and questioning the validity of my reasons, I stand by my decision. Prioritizing my education and mental well-being was essential for my future. Quitting was a difficult choice, but it was the best decision for me at the time. I wanted to share my experience to shed light on the dedication required for internships like Cyblack. It wasn't easy to share this, but I hope it helps others understand the challenges and sacrifices involved in pursuing opportunities like those offered by CyBlack.

#InternSpotlight: Jack Kruschke 🌟 You've gotten to know him through Jack's Vac Shack now get to know what his fall plans are and the takeaways he has had over the past summer. Check out Jack's Intern Spotlight below!

We're highlighting our interns for National Intern Day! Bryce Mayden is our intern from Hanover College and has been working with our Economic Development team this summer. 1. What is your favorite project that you've worked on at 1si so far this summer? My favorite project was researching the local economy (i.e., real GDP throughout the last 20 years, unemployment rates, housing costs, etc.) 2. What is your most memorable experience from this summer? Our everyday conversations in the office have been the most memorable experiences this summer. 3. What are your hobbies outside of work/school? My big hobby outside of work/school is soccer; I love playing pickup, training on my own, and watching games on TV.

Check out Public Allies National Board member and staff alum, Marc McAleavey, MSW's, blog post on leadership development! In this piece, he shares his belief that everyone has the capacity and skills to step up and lead positive change in their communities. ⭐ "Public Allies believes that everyone leads: that leadership isn’t a position, but actions we take. Through this, I have come to know that leadership is like a muscle that everyone has... However, when we marry our gifts and talents with the hopes and dreams of our neighbors, our leadership muscles grow and thrive in the power of community."

In this Swift Chat conversation, Marie Swift speaks with Luis Rosa, Emlen Miles-Mattingly, and Shawn Tydlaska, CFP®, MBA, three of the co-founders of the BLX Internship Program. They aim to make the financial planning profession more reflective of the world we live in by providing paid internships for aspiring Black and Latinx financial planners. This conversation emphasizes the transformative impact of mentorship, community, and diversity in the financial services industry for both interns and firms. Watch:

So many opportunities to grow in a caring and innovative culture.