Claire Turner

Responsibilities

At the Omaha Equestrian Foundation (the OEF) my duties are to create large scale databases for vendor, sponsor, donor and VIP contacts to use towards the International Omaha. The International Omaha is a horse competition showing the skills in Jumping and Dressage. It has been hosted in Omaha since 2012 and features some of the best riders in the world. The spreadsheets I create will help to attract new and existing vendors and sponsors to the event. Within these documents I must review past invoices and agreements and document what each company/person received for their donation to the OEF. Upon completion of these databases I will contact the vendors and sponsors reminding them of their past offers and now introducing our new proposals and offerings. At the event in April I will help organize booths and continue to work with the sponsors and vendors to ensure they are happy and enjoy their time at the International.

Accomplishments

A month before my internship was supposed to start, all our files got erased. Most of them came back but a lot of important documents and databases were not recovered. My job was then suddenly changed to help get the OEF reorganized. I have (so far) created four new databases with unique formatting to highlight details most useful to us. Each database is at least 1,000 rows with multiple columns of information I had to search for and recreate. It isn' very glamorous but it is extremely rewarding to see how it has effected the organization.

Learning experience

Always have a backup file and a positive attitude. Computers are nice for almost everything, but sometimes things happen and all your hard work is erased... Having a back-up file or even just emailing major assignments/projects to yourself can be a saving grace. When stuff doesn't go your way, or when a file you've spent weeks creating is suddenly erased, having a positive attitude is EVERYTHING. Being able to laugh it off proves to your coworkers and yourself that you are able to stay calm in intense situations, and also that you don't take yourself too seriously. Laughing at a mistake is the best way to get over it and fix the situation without getting upset.

What advice would you give?

Don't take yourself or others too seriously. Be yourself. That sound cliche and honestly I would read this and roll my eyes too but its true. People will notice if you're trying too hard to fit in. Being yourself and having people notice and like you for it is much more rewarding and honestly easier than trying to play someone else. If you are yourself and don't get along or fit in with the others not just at work but in any situation then it's not your fault. It's just not the right fit/setting/crowd for you. If you are yourself and enjoy getting work done there's no reason you shouldn't love your job.