By Penny Lynch, Communications manager
At the DRC some of the most valued members of the team are our Interns. Each semester and during the summer, the Chamber grants positions to college and high school students looking for opportunities to gain experience and solidify their career readiness. This summer, the Chamber staff had the pleasure of working with five interns: Delia Cruz Nochebuena, Chris Heinlen, John Keith, Jayant Kurvari and Benjamin Rubin.
The Chamber prides itself on making sure interns get the most out of their internship, and creates a well rounded work environment that can include anything from researching, writing, answering phones, creating and campaigning.
Chris Heinlen, a graphic design intern in the Chamber’s Research department, said his time with the DRC has been a great resume and portfolio builder. “Because of my time here I have developed new ways to approach projects and interact with the people I am working with. This internship has allowed me to reflect on my artistic process in a business setting, and future employers will be able to see that I have real world experience.”
Public Policy and Education intern Delia Cruz Nochebuena agreed. “The chamber has contributed to my future career path by helping me develop skills that I will use every day from learning to be in a real work atmosphere to conducting research and increasing my political awareness.
Chamber Interns also get an in-depth look at the region’s business community.
“Interning at the chamber has provided me with the unique opportunity to learn about the many different aspects that drive a region’s economy. I have been able to discover certain areas that interest me, giving me a good idea of the industries I would like to work in following my graduation,” said Rubin.
“I have leaned new knowledge about how businesses interact with each other, and how employees within a business work with each other to get a specific task done,” added Membership Services intern Jayant Kurvari.
While the interns learn a lot and hone their skills and business knowledge, time at the Chamber isn’t all work and no play. DRC interns are invited to volunteer at and attend our events, and many feel the opportunity to learn from Amb. Oberwetter is a highlight.
“This summer, the most memorable event was joining the other interns for breakfast with Ambassador Oberwetter. It was a great chance to ask questions and hear about the experiences Amb. Oberwetter had as a diplomat,” explained Rubin.
The DRC managers value the internship experience as much as the interns. The managers who worked with interns this summer felt they were top-notch, and described them as artistic, committed, hard-working, efficient, reliable, funny, ambitious and thoughtful.
Jessica Heer, Managing Director of Economic Development
“John Keith is the Economic Development intern for the summer. He is a data collection and analysis wiz. John is helping to prepare the Headquarters Recruitment Committee for their upcoming communications campaign. He is a native of Costa Rica, can speak 2 languages, and is entering his senior year at SMU working on a degree in economics. Having him here has helped our team complete several assignments. When his internship concludes, we will miss him greatly.”
Sarah Pendleton, Director of Leadership Dallas
“This past summer, one of our interns, Benjamin Rubin, asked if he could help out at events- probably not having any idea what he was getting into. He looked at the list of events occurring while he was with us and asked to attend/help at specific events including our top level executive event. I was nervous about having an intern assist at events, especially not having done anything like it before, but it turns out he was amazing! By far one of the best volunteers I could ask for! Ben went above and beyond by jumping in and helping with tasks without me having to ask. I appreciated his attention to detail and anticipating what could go wrong. His calm demeanor and positive attitude was great to have on the team – especially in the frantic world of events. Thank you for all your time and help Ben!”
Ryan Tharp, Director of Business Information & Research
“The Business Information and Research interns (Benjamin Rubin and Chris Heinlen) were a huge help with data collection and design for our comparative study on Regional Innovation. In return, we were able to offer them some working experience with Office software as well as gaining familiarity with standard research sources such as the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
Trisha Windham, Director of Education
“Delia Cruz Nochebuena is mature beyond her years, has incredible critical thinking skills that allow her to ‘take projects and run with them’ with little to no instruction, and is a dedicated and hard worker. I am excited to see her continue to grow and succeed, even after her internship here at the Chamber is completed.”
Want to learn more about our interns? Click here to read their profiles on Roll Call.
Know someone who would make a great DRC intern? Contact Dexter Freeman at dfreemam@dallaschamber.org for more information on the DRC’s internship program or click here to learn more.
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