Episode 20: Remote Internships

How does one complete an internship during a pandemic? Campus Greensboro Director Lizzy Tahsuda is joined by CG Fellows Malik Britton and Kelly Farmar, who are both working hybrid internships, to discuss how employers and interns can build strong relationships when they're rarely - or never - in the same room.

 

Thanks for joining us!

This episode is sponsored by Truliant Federal Credit Union

Visit Truliant here

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Today’s host is Lizzy Tahsuda, the Director of Campus Greensboro, a program that housed under the Action Greensboro branch of the Greensboro Chamber.

 

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1:02 - Lizzy welcomes listeners to the podcast and shares some background about the Campus Greensboro Program, an internship fellows program that connects local college students to great internship positions while also giving them professional development and leadership training. 

 

2:15 - Lizzy asks Caroline Glover, a student engagement consultant with Campus Greensboro, to introduce herself, as well as their Campus Greensboro guests, Malik Britton and Kelly Farmer. Kelly is a rising senior at Elon interning at the Eastern Music Festival, and Malik is a recent graduate from Guilford College who is currently interning with Xtern Software. 

 

6:10 - Lizzy asks Kelly and Malik about the pros and cons about working both in-office and remotely during the pandemic, as this is the first cohort that has had to operate virtually. They discuss the balance of working from home and keeping themselves on task, while also practicing safe and healthy measures whenever they need to be in the office around other people. 

 

8:33 - Malik and Kelly describe how they have used the Campus Greensboro Program to network with professionals and grow their connections in the community. It has been challenging, having to operate mostly online due to Covid-19, but both feel that they have connected with coworkers, mentors, and other Campus Greensboro Fellows. Many people seem open to meeting, virtually or in-office, which has also been a benefit.

 

11:22 - Lizzy asks what online tools the organizations have been using for interns to stay connected and on task. Kelly talks about Trello for project management and the Google Chat feature to communicate with each other, even if they’re in the office. Malik’s team uses x-chat to keep in touch and send updates to each other.

 

12:48 - Lizzy asks what they have done to make the best of their experience as a fellow during Covid-19 and the virtual platform they’ve had to work within. Kelly speaks about another fellow that she works with, as well as her mentor, who has helped connect her with other professionals who are happy to have zoom calls and informational interviews. Malik echoes Kelly’s experiences, highlighting that his mentor has been a tremendous help in his professional development and growing his network. 

 

15:53 - Kelly and Malik speak to how virtual work platforms, Zoom meetings, and growing technology know-how are helping their generation connect more widely with professionals in new focus areas, gain different perspectives, and develop their ability to easily work in a virtual and face-to-face world. 

 

18:57 - Lizzy asks if there’s been anything the Fellows have been surprised by in their experience with working virtually, and how technology can still be improved on. Kelly recommends increased flexibility for students and teams in different timezones, to improve collaboration. Malik expresses gratefulness that this pandemic has forced him to jump into new technologies and learn how to use different tools in order to get his work done. 

23:58 - Lizzy explains how Covid-19 has impacted so much of our lives, but especially the internship opportunities for students and job prospects of recent graduates; she asks the Fellows how the Greensboro Community can support them in this current situation. Kelly describes anxiety around the arts industry disappearing, but finding ways to make a community and connections around that shared interest will help keep hope going. Malik stresses showing empathy for others and employers being open to young professionals that don’t have a lot of experience. Their generation has a lot to offer to companies and organizations, and have learned so much about adaptability, technology, and teamwork through this experience.

 

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Campus Greensboro website: https://campusgreensboro.org/

Campus Greensboro Summer Fellows Program: https://campusgreensboro.org/apply/

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CampusGreensboro/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campusgreensboro/

Learn more about Campus Greensboro at campusgreensboro.org.

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