Experiences

A glimpse into the experiences I have had that have shaped who I am.

Honors I-CORE

Honors I-CORE remains a highlight of my college career, marked by the hands-on learning, lasting connections, and lifelong friendships and community built during this semester. Though one of the most academically challenging terms I have encountered in my time at IUI, I learned invaluable skills including time management, team orientation, leadership, and organizational skills before entering the corporate world.

My teammates (pictured left to right) Sam McWilliams, Leighanna Coley, Luke Lonneman and I spent many hours collaborating with professors Kimberly Donahue, Jared Trullinger, Vicki Daniels, and Charlotte Westerhaus-Renfrow on our AI-driven mobile app 'PEAK,' the center of our I-CORE project. Through detailed analysis and reporting of marketing strategy, financial specs, design, and distribution, we were able to successfully present our project to a board of Indianapolis professionals within our industry and surrounding.

This experience was rewarding and provided me with a comprehensive understanding of high-level executive thinking and how to apply it in a corporate setting.

AUGUST – DECEMBER 2023

Disney College Program

In the spring of 2024, I moved from Whitestown, Indiana to Lake Buena Vista, Florida to start a journey I had always dreamed of–working for the Walt Disney Company. I applied for the Disney College Program in August of 2023 on the very first day that the applications opened. Within about one week, a phone interview was scheduled, and about two weeks later I received my acceptance to something that would end up being one of the most growing experiences of my life.

There are too many ways that this program served me–both personally, and professionally–to speak about in a simple statement, so I will break it down into the most remarkable lessons that I learned:

Move far away from home. At least once–you will not regret it.
Mission statement matters. 'Create Happiness' is what Disney stands behind, and it truly made a difference in the way I went about my work.
Creativity is the spice of life. I have always been creative, and working for a company that embraces creativity was incredibly fulfilling.
Network. I had more opportunity in my 6 months spent with Disney to make connections than I have had in my entire college career, and I still maintain several connections that have lasted to this day.

I attribute my success during this program in part to my experience in Kelley as an honors student. Being surrounded by so many students who are also high-achievers inspired me to take the leap and go after my dreams. To quote one the song 'Happily Ever After' that I heard daily during my internship, "and so our journey comes to an end, but yours has just begun." This experience set the tone for the rest of my career and I am incredibly thankful to have been backed by an institution that celebrated my achievements with this company.

JANUARY – JUNE 2024

Internship at Second Church

In June of 2024, when I returned from Florida, I was completely unsure of where I wanted to go next. I was in panic mode–do I go back to working retail? Do I become a server? What could possibly compare to the experience I just had?

Just a few weeks after my return, I found myself looking at an opening for a marketing internship at Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis, a church that I was quite familiar with and had even visited a few times in the past. In the job description, I saw an emphasis on graphic design, marketing, and communications–what sounded like a nearly perfect match for the skill-set I was looking to acquire for my future career. I reached out, secured an interview with my now-director, and the rest is history.

Throughout my time as a 'Communications Intern' at Second, I have been able to turn my passions and knowledge into products that serve a community that I myself identify with. Working for a non-profit organization was not a criterion that I had in mind for my job search, but it has expanded my mind to the implications of servant leadership and what it means to do work for the better of the community, rather than having sales and profit in mind.

I am extremely grateful for the people, opportunity, and experiences that Second has given to me and continues to give. I will be starting with the company full-time as Digital Media Specialist in June of 2025!

JUNE 2024 – JUNE 2025