Lauren Seneca
Internship with The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations
Supervised by Kristin Zummo, Assistant Director & Jay McClymont, Director
Messiah College Internship Program
Mr. Michael Blount, Internship Advisor
Fall 2011
Table of Contents
Job Description
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Learning Objectives
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Task Calendar
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Executive Summary
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Letter of Attestation
Job Description
Position: Intern
Department: Office of Alumni and Parent Relations
Reporting
Relationships: Reports to Kristin Zummo and Jay McClymont
General Summary:
The Intern position is a project oriented position in a team environment that focuses on serving Messiah College’s students, alumni, and parents. This position gives an intern the opportunity to expand their skill through the completion of each task. The intern will gain knowledge in customer service, event planning, teamwork, and time-management. This position understands the importance of cultivating relationship as well as maintaining relationships through the many events organized for the office’s specific publics.
Principle Duties & Responsibilities:
1. Act as the Senior Homecoming Committee Chair
2. Create marketing tools for student featured events
3. Manage personal work schedule
4. Learn and use office software
5. Exercise customer service in person, through email, and by phone
6. Understand the importance of creating and maintaining relationships
7. Provide project support as necessary within the organization
8. Attend internal staff meetings
9. Develop evaluation tools for events held
10. Represent student body
Job Specifications:
1. Capability to work in a team environment
2. Execute effective oral and written expression
3. Prioritize work with little supervision
4. Skill set to work with specific computer programs
5. Knowledge and desire to pursue both the college and office
missions
Learning Objectives
Objective 1: Learn how to effectively lead the Homecoming Committee for the student aspects of Homecoming day and how to manage the committee meetings.
Resources/Activities:
1. As the Homecoming Chair I will be coordinating and facilitating committee meetings
2.
Seek my advisor, Kristin Zummo, for knowledge on leading
3. Utilize the binder given to me from previous chairs
Evaluation/Verification:
1.
Evaluating myself by keeping a task calendar to see the work I performed each day
2. By evaluating the success of each aspect of our team
3. Receiving feedback from Kristin in our weekly meetings
Objective 2: Learn some of the technical aspects of my job as well as transferable skills, such as phone calls, utilizing the banner database, organization, and effective communication
Resources/Activities:
1.
Talk to previous work-studies to see how they were able to develop these skills while
working in office
2. Have Kristin train me in the technology used by office
3.
Refer to available notes/written instructions
Evaluation/Verification:
1. Have Kristin evaluate my performance during our weekly meeting
2. Feel more confident in my skills by seeing my technology interaction increase in work displayed on task calendar
Task Calendar
August 2011 |
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Sunday |
Monday |
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Wednesday |
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Friday |
Saturday |
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Attended Opportunities Fair to recruit volunteers for Homecoming |
30 Sent reminder email for Homecoming Email; created meeting agenda; met with Kristin about Homecoming |
31 Labeled envelopes; learned printer and how to answer phone; Homecoming Committee Meeting |
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September 2011 |
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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1 Created mass email; organize liability binder; compile Fun Run shirt ideas; reserve classroom for volunteer training |
2 Emailed Beth Fun Run ideas; created meeting agenda; confirmed room reservation; Banner Platform training |
3 |
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4 |
5 Emailed Beth to individual meeting; printed calendar to organize tasks; Banner Training |
6 Met with Kristin; set up meeting with 3 committee members; learned how to send baby t’s; answered alumni email account |
7
OFF |
8 Sent baby t’s; FalconNet training; Met with Brook for Homecoming (HC) |
9 Met with Beth for HC; Created Fun Run shirt design; answered first phone call; Updated Banner |
10 |
11 |
12 Sent reminder email to Homcoming Committee (HCC); met with Kasey for HC promotion; |
13 Office meeting; Met with Kasey and Matt to finalize promotional material; Updated FalconNet |
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OFF |
15 Met with Kristin; reviewed Volunteer Training PPT; organized PowderPuff liability forms |
16 Worked on Volunteer PPT; created “Thank you” notes for Alumni event |
17 |
18 |
19 Met with Kristin; prepared mailings for Staff & Faculty |
20 Prepared mailings for Staff & Faculty; emailed HCC; answered emails on Alumni email account; updated Banner |
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OFF |
22 Met with Kristin; emailed Brooke & Sophie to set up individual HC meetings; |
23 responded emails in alumni account; Banner updates |
24 |
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26 Responded to email in alumni account and HC account; stuffed envelopes |
27
“Paid Vacation” |
28 Met with Sophie; HCC meeting; Met with Brooke and Kristin for Lil’ Falcon Zone layout |
29 Met with Kristin for Volunteer Training PPT; Emailed Brook, Beth & Sophie about HC responsibilities |
30 Created HC contact sheet |
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October 2011 |
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Sunday |
Monday |
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Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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3 Responded to HC email; worked on HC |
4 Emailed HCC for HC promotions; Met with Jay; Edited training PPT; Prepared envelopes for HC |
5 Painted Union windows for HC promotion; met with Kristin & Kasey for Registration Tent |
6 Sent mass email for HC promotion; wrote “Thank yous”; prepared/printed HC schedule |
7
OFF |
8 |
9 |
10 Prepared gift bags for alumni award recipients; met with Jordan for chapel; HC email; created agenda |
11 Finished gift bags; Reminder email to HCC; wrote chapel script; prepared for Volunteer Training |
12 Final preparations for HC |
13 Announced HC and introduced myself in chapel; attended alumni award recipient brunch |
14 Final preparations for HC; attended HC Dance to crown HC Queen & King |
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HOMECOMING |
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17 Cleaned Union window paint |
18 Began attic inventory |
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24 Entered data of alumni that attended HC; wrote “Thank You” cards for HCC |
25 Continued data entry; emailed HCC for post HC “Thank you” dinner |
26
Thank You Dinner |
27 Continued data entry |
28 Site visit; mailed “Thank You” cards; organized office events binder |
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31 |
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November 2011 |
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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1 Began creating post HC survey; met with Jay; established projects |
2
OFF |
3 Met with Jay; edited HC survey; continued attic inventory |
4 Continued inventory; worked on mailers for HC reunion photos |
5 |
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6 |
7 Completed PPT project for Jay; continued inventory |
8 Finished inventory |
9
OFF |
10 Began Facebook project for Jay; Sent “Thank You” card to Kristin |
11 Complete Facebook project for Jay; Emailed post HC survey to students |
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14 Alumni email account; checked up on survey results |
15 Updated Banner |
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OFF |
17 Updated Banner |
18 Updated Banner; Stuffed envelopes |
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21 Analyzed/evaluated HC survey data |
22 Alumni email; updated Banner |
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OFF
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28 Alumni email account; updated banner |
29 Alumni email account; updated banner |
30 Alumni email account; updated banner |
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December 2011 |
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Sunday |
Monday |
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Friday |
Saturday |
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1 Alumni email account; updated banner |
2 Organized December graduate gift bags |
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5 Alumni email account; updated banner |
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Executive Summary
Spring Internship - Lauren Seneca
Introduction
During the Fall of 2011 I worked with the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at Messiah College as the Event Intern. Messiah College is a small liberal arts institution in Grantham, Pennsylvania about fifteen miles south of Harrisburg. The goal of this office is to serve dual roles as they strive to connect with students and alumni while also serving the parents and families current and past Messiah College. My supervisors’ names were Kristin Zummo, Assistant Director of the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, and Jay McClymont, Director of the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations.
Before beginning my internship, I developed two explicit learning objections. Both objectives had had detailed processes for accomplishing them throughout my experience as well as methods to verify my achievement of each. My objections were as follows:
1. Learn how to effectively lead the Homecoming Committee for the student aspects of Homecoming day and gain knowledge of how to manage committee meetings.
2. Learn the technical aspects of my job such as phone calls, utilizing the banner database, organization, and effective communication.
After my fifteen week long internship, I believe I have accomplished these two learning objectives and gained transferable skills that will benefit me as I graduate and enter the workforce.
Work/Projects
Throughout my internship experience I maintained a daily journal of what tasks and jobs I performed. When reading through my journal there are a few patterns that stuck out. The internship was broken into two main responsibilities: hands-on and technical.
At the beginning of my internship I placed most of my effort on planning and preparing for the 2011 Homecoming. One job I fulfilled as the Event Intern was the Senior Homecoming Chair. This position came with multiple responsibilities. I was the lead personnel for the student aspect. My main responsibility was to lead and oversee g a group of nine students on the Homecoming Committee as well as over 100 volunteers the committee recruited. Each was assigned a specific role in making Homecoming happen. It was then my job to check-in with them, hold them accountable, and assist them in any ways possible. The preparation period taught me organizational and leadership skills as well as flexibility. I juggled many responsibilities at one time since each project required careful detail and overlapping deadlines.
Although the preparation was challenging, the day of the event was exciting. It was so satisfying to see all the committee’s hard work along with mine, come together and be a success as we served over 3,000 students, alumni, parents, and families at Homecoming. My day started at 7am since it was my job to set up for the different activities, float throughout the day between the different events happening, check-in on my workers at their stations, and clean up.
Following Homecoming I conducted a follow-up survey to gauge my committee’s success in the eyes of Messiah’s students. Our results were overwhelmingly positive. Out of the 285 students who completed the survey, 98% were very satisfied with the overall day.
The second half of my experience was more technical. I learned how to take phone calls, schedule groups in our office’s conference room, update alumni information in our Banner Platform, and respond to alumni and parents’ questions through email. Although this was a less active period in the office, I learned a great deal of interpersonal and communicative skills.
Learning
As I began my internship, I was excited but also nervous. I greatly enjoy event planning, but I knew it would be challenging. One of the greatest challenges for me was running the Homecoming Committee. Eight out of the nine students on the committee had already served at least one year prior. This was somewhat intimidating as there were students with more experience and knowledge than me and I was their authority. This taught me humility as I realized it was necessary to ask for their insights and previous experiences to help me do my job to the best of my ability. Additionally, I learned how to gain the trust and respect of others who may be more qualified. By being humble and investing time into my relationship with each member, I was able to slowly gain their respect which helped unify our committee and create a successful and memorable event.
I gained confidence fast in the Senior Homecoming Chair position, but struggled with confidence in the technical portion of my internship. The Banner Platform where we enter and store student, alumni, and parent data was a challenging software that took me the majority of my time there to master. I found that repetition helped me learn skills faster.
Additionally, I realized that it is ok to not always have the answer when someone calls or emails questions. As long as I am polite and show eagerness to help people are more times than not patient and enjoyable to speak with.
Future Plans
Prior to my internship, I needed improvement are embracing change and navigating across boundaries. I used to be a person who struggled with change; however, this experience has helped me learn how to embrace change in order to be successful. Being an Event Intern has showed me change is inevitable and if I am able to understand and recognize change I will be more prepared and hopefully be able to handle it better in the workplace and my personal life.
Additionally, boundaries used to challenge me because I like freedom when I work and thought boundaries would limit my creativity. However, I found that boundaries are positive and help me do better work because they facilitate a comfortable environment. Having limits allows me to know what I can do and be creative within that comfort area.
This internship experience has impacted my future plans because it confirmed my interest and passion in event coordinating. Planning Homecoming was challenging but satisfying. I love details and at the end of the day, all the hard work is worth it when you see people enjoying the final product. As a result, I am pursuing event coordinating careers. In terms of what industry, I am still unsure and open to anything. As of now I am pursuing the bridal industry, but I am open to other fields. I have always loved making people happy, and although it comes with disappointment at times, it is what makes me feel accomplished, and what better way to make people happy than to help them with such a special moment and play a small role in their wedding experience.
Preparations/Recommendations
Not only has this internship helped prepare me for a future job but my education and co-curricular activities have as well. Being that Messiah is a liberal arts school, I have had a well-rounded education. I studied disciplines outside of my major and learned a diverse amount of information. Also, I took classes that interested me, most of which dealt with relationships. Those courses are always useful as communication is essential regardless of what career I enter.
In addition to my education, I participated in an NCAA Intercollegiate sport. I played on Messiah’s softball team where I was a captain and started all four years. This experience grew me in areas of leadership, commitment, and teamwork, all of which are beneficial in a career.
One thing I would recommend for educational requirements at Messiah would be a required course for all sophomores that teach all the information I learned in my internship course. The course taught valuable topics such as money management, dining etiquette, interviewing tips, and many more. Additionally, I believe it would be beneficial for students to start their resume early as well as brainstorming how they want to brand themselves to employers. Being a senior in the internship was tough because it was great information but it felt as though it was almost too late. I was applying to jobs before my portfolio was done.
Overall, my internship course and experience as Event Intern was very beneficial as I learned several transferable skills and learned how to brand myself to employers. I am very thankful for the opportunity I had to lead others and build my skill set. It was a challenge worth taking.
Letter of Attestation
November 29, 2011
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a letter of my highest recommendation for Lauren Seneca. I’ve had the pleasure to work with Lauren over the past year as her Homecoming Committee internship supervisor.
Throughout my experience with Lauren, she has exuded all the qualities necessary to be very successful in the business world. Her determination to succeed is evidenced by her bold decision to secure an internship while taking a full course load as well as play on and act as captain for the varsity softball team at Messiah College. While Lauren is busy, she handles her demanding schedule with ease. Lauren’s role as an intern in our office only further proved her leadership skills.
Assuming the role of Homecoming Committee chair, she took time to research both the history of committee and the future possibilities for this group. She was incredibly thorough and organized throughout the entire planning process. Lauren also took the initiative to complete her expected tasks and more. Her ability to manage varying timelines and details exhibited strong project management skills. Lauren’s most significant contribution came through her management of volunteers. As she managed a committee of students, whose work varied from developing publication materials to planning events, she led without micromanaging, taking initiative when necessary, but also delegating when appropriate. She developed trust with her team and her enthusiasm encouraged their performance every step of the way. Finally, Lauren worked diligently to develop new professional skills during this internship. Her desire to learn throughout the process made supervising her a pleasure.
I have been continuously impressed by Lauren’s initiative, positive attitude, and leadership skills. Her communication skills and level of professionalism truly set her apart.
I give Lauren Seneca my highest recommendation. Her enthusiasm, strong work ethic, and professionalism make her an ideal candidate for a job in her field. Please feel free to contact me if you’d like any further information.
Sincerely,
Kristin M. Zummo
Director of Annual Giving
Messiah College
717-796-1800 x3190
kzummo@messiah.edu