Author: comptoncm1

Holly Ahrens, ’18 is an English Major with a Technical Writing minor. She interned at Armory Publishing Groups LLC during the summer of 2016. 

1.Where did you intern last summer and what was your position title?

My internship was at Armory Publishing Groups LLC in Aurora, Colorado. Armory Publishing is a small company that publishes Christian books as well as markets their materials. The company also organizes meet and greets and book readings. As a General Intern I managed the social media accounts, read books for publicity purposes, and also helped plan publicity events.

2. How did you secure your internship?

The owner of Armory came to my church and spoke about one of her books on missions. She connected with my parents over their shared interest in missions and mutually I was connected with her. We talked, exchanged emails, and eventually I was offered the internship.

3. What are some of the top lessons you learned while interning?

I learned that a lot of publishing is not just about reading and editing books, but mostly publicizing materials. I was also educated on the publishing industry as a whole.

4. How did your Grove City classes prepare you for your internship?

I took a Technical Writing course that helped with writing my resume and securing my internship. In addition, through my English classes, I learned how to write well and fast as well as have good grammar and write intelligent, critical book reviews. My Humanities classes, specifically Speculative Mind, helped me to think about and compare ideas about missions. I also completed Introduction to Visual Communication and Design, which helped me design social media banners for promoting the book.

5. How will your internship experience serve you in your career search?

Because of this internship, I know what I do and do not want to pursue. In addition, I have gained a new perspective on non-fiction Christian publishing, which gives me a clearer sense on what I like and do not like about the genre. I also know how the publishing industry works as a whole, which is the career that I plan on moving into.

Lindsay Neumann, ’18 is a Biblical and Religious Studies Major with a double minor in Christian Ministries and Business. She interned during the summer of 2015 at Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

1. Where did you intern and what was your position title?

I interned at Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a College Financial Representative. My job included selling life insurance and helping people plan for their financial futures. I found most of my clients by just going through phone books, making cold calls, and some of them were made through my personal network.

2. How did you secure your internship?

I heard about the internship through a family connection, who gave me the number of the person in charge of the program. I continued through the interview process over breaks and got the job!

3. What are some of the top lessons you learned while interning?

The biggest skill I gained was improving my overall professionalism. I learned to handle myself in meetings and how to conduct myself around adults. I also learned the intricacies of the insurance industry and how financial planning ties many aspects of someone’s life together.

4. How did your Grove City College education help you? 

Grove City’s culture pushes you to be independent and treats you as an adult. This gave me the confidence to function in a mature workplace and engage with others much older than myself. In addition, the Humanities Core helped me to relate to others on a personal level and opened my awareness of how my worldview impacts my interactions with others. While these are skills can apply beyond the professional world, it really became evident to me how counter-cultural these ideas were when I entered the workplace.

5. What was your favorite part of your internship?

I loved forming connections with people, learning about their lives, and then helping them develop their financial plans out of a place of care for them.

6. How will your internship experience serve you in your career search?

My internship gave me the confidence to be able to navigate the interviewing process and become a capable candidate for an employment position in finance. It also helped me get a feel of professional business and an idea of what I want to pursue.