Indiana INTERNnet, the statewide organization focusing on talent retention through increased work-and-learn experiences, began the tradition of celebrating internship excellence over a decade ago by launching the annual IMPACT Awards program.
The IMPACT Awards are presented at an annual luncheon honoring Interns of the Year (high school, college and non-traditional categories), Employers of the Year (for-profit and not-for-profit categories) and a Career Development Professional of the Year. Indiana INTERNnet will honor its 11th group of award nominees and winners on Feb. 8, 2017. Olympic gold medalist and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star, Tamika Catchings, will be the keynote speaker.
Honorees are nominated by the public, and winners are chosen by a panel of impartial judges. Click here to submit your nomination(s) in any or all of the categories by October 21.
Here is a sampling of the achievements by previous winners:
2013: One measuring stick of internship success is whether or not the opportunity leads to permanent employment. After serving as the 2012 governor’s public service summer intern, Casey Spivey began working as a full-time benefits specialist at the Indiana State Personnel Department (SPD). Today, she is the facility human resources director.
“Casey basically went through a 12-week job interview with our organization with outstanding results,” states Nicole Russell, division director of talent acquisition for the Indiana SPD. “To go from student to governor’s intern to state employee is a feat to be acknowledged.”
2015: “2014 has been a year of excellence for our internship program,” says Valerie Wilson, chief of staff, Baldwin & Lyons. It’s easy to see why.
- 96% of interns reported their job responsibilities were challenging but attainable.
- 63% of interns with at least junior standing were converted to either full-time or part-time employment or another internship.
- 100% of interns expressed interest in working for Baldwin & Lyons upon graduation.
The employer-intern connection doesn’t end with the internship at Baldwin & Lyons. Employees assembled care packages with encouraging notes to send their former interns during final exams. Staff also makes an effort to visit when they are on college campuses for career fairs.
2016: In more than eight years at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Brandi Gilbert has had an impact on the IUPUI Life-Health Sciences Internship (LHSI) program.
“Since its induction in 2007, LHSI has employed over 350 interns, each of which Brandi has personally trained, supervised, or advised in some capacity,” says Kamilah Walters, nominator of Gilbert for Career Development Professional of the Year.
“LHSI interns work in a variety of different locations, departments, and scientific fields, but Brandi’s goal for each intern is the same: development of transferable career and professional skills.”
For more information on Indiana INTERNnet, visit www.IndianaINTERN.net or call (317) 264-6852.
