Culture Spark Appreciates Interns
The interns come and go, but some leave everlasting footprints. This post is dedicated to our appreciation for past, present, and future interns. This year, we would like to highlight Erin J. Poerschke who interned with Culture Spark in the summer of 2016 and continued working remotely as she finished her senior year at the University of Arkansas. Erin graduated in May 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a minor in Marketing and started to work in Austin for Advantage Solutions as a Leadership Development Associate.
During her internship at Culture Spark, Erin contributed tremendously to the company and the team. When she started the internship, she had just completed a study abroad program in Italy. She commented to Sheryl on the remarkable old-world craftsman quality she repeatedly encountered there- from arts and crafts to soaps and sweets. She grasped the concept that great quality yields great customer loyalty. It was a delight to see this concept shine through in all of Erin’s work. A few of Erin’s internship tasks included:
- Investing time to research and develop a standardized book filled with Team Building Exercises
- Conducting company case-study research
- Writing several marketing emails
- Creating the standards for Culture Spark marketing material and training program presentations
- Attending client meetings and manager “rocks” meetings which showed her intuition about people’s character
- Bringing joy to everyone she encountered!
Upon the conclusion of her internship at Culture Spark, Erin soon began her career at Advantage Solutions. Fast forward 5 years, and Erin just celebrated her 5th anniversary of growing and advancing with the same amazing company! Sheryl was able to catch up on all of Erin’s achievements this summer, and it was motivating to hear about her intel and success, which stemmed from her internship at Culture Spark. Erin gladly shared how her internship shaped her and paved the way for her career path. Looking back, Erin identifies the 6 key takeaways from her internship at Culture Spark:
- Gained exposure to HR as she explored different facets and disciplines within the HR spectrum
- Found her passion in Employee Relations and revealed her most sincere passion for impacting people
- Taught her how important culture is, how it impacts the work environment and the human beings
- Exposed her to the corporate world while sitting in on client meetings
- Poised her on appropriate ways to carry oneself and interact with leaders in a professional environment
- Translated tasks into deadlines, while prioritizing and meeting job expectations
Erin now fully supports the Retail group at Advantage Solutions as an Associate Relations Partner II. She has worked diligently to grow her relationship with leaders and feels confident in her field knowledge. Erin genuinely feels that she found her niche, as her work complements her strengths and her personality. Erin’s past experiences provide confidence as the face of the company’s culture in leading the way and representing the company while seamlessly turning their concerns into positive experiences!
In conclusion, Erin provided her advice for future Culture Spark Interns:
“As I reflect on my internship, I realized that what I learned wasn’t necessarily what I expected to learn. For example, at various client meetings, I found that Sheryl was watching and observing me. She observed my interaction with employees and leaders and tactfully helped me adjust my communication skills. My advice is to take each assignment, meeting, and activity as a learning experience. In the moment it felt as if I just attended a client meeting and didn’t contribute much, but as I look back I can clearly see the impact Sheryl had on me.’”
Thank you, Erin, for your footprints left at Culture Spark. We wish you all the success as you continue growing in your career!
Connect with Erin via LinkedIn
Want to read more about Erin? Click here: https://culture-spark.com/erins-new-job/