Stacey Sloan

Major: Event Management
Company/Organization: Cornerstone Church
Company/Organization website: cornerstonelife.com
Destination: Ames, Iowa
Timeframe: Spring 2023
Advisor/Coordinator Email: briaj

Responsibilities

As the Kids Event Intern, I do a lot at Cornerstone to make sure that the kid's program runs smoothly. Some of my tasks include supporting Kids programming in the South Auditorium, printing host notes & Services plan, prepping any hosting supplies, coordinating with the host for any needs, preparing ProPresenter for Sundays, overseeing volunteers (making sure they are faithful and timely, ensuring they are accomplishing their responsibilities and making wise choices while serving), helping recruit and schedule staff, training and communicating with staff. I really enjoy doing the administrative work associated with my job position, but there are also multiple events that I am in charge of. These include event childcare, 4th/5th-grade parties (kickoff, Christmas, and end of the year), the Christmas program, parent commissioning, VBS, Kids Camp, and meet & greets.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment in my internship has been the implementation of elements for VBS (Vacation Bible School). This event has around 400 people in attendance, which is Cornerstone Kid’s biggest event of the year. It will happen in June of 2023, but the team has been planning since January. We have weekly meetings, and I am in charge of accomplishing many of the tasks. The biggest task I was given was the design of the event. I found different decorative elements that fit the theme, researched the cost, and got to purchase and put together the decorations. I am proud of my success in designing this event and cannot wait to see it all put together this summer.

Learning experience

There were many great lessons that I learned through my internship, but the two that stick out right away are to speak up if you have an idea and ask/accept help if you need it. When I went into my internship, I was scared and nervous. I saw myself as a small college student and my coworkers as successful adults. In meetings, I never wanted to chime in with ideas because I didn’t want to sound stupid, interrupt, or be denied. One day I thought I had a really good idea that I couldn’t keep to myself, so I shared it, and the team loved it. From then on I was bold and confident in myself because although I was an intern, I had opinions and thoughts that were valued in the workplace. The second lesson I learned was to receive help. I originally viewed my internship as a chance to prove myself rather than an opportunity to gain insight and learn from working adults. There were a few times that I had a loaded plate and had to work overtime hours to complete all of my assignments (I wasn’t paid overtime). I wasn’t required to get all those tasks done, but I didn’t want anyone else to do them because I could look weak. Instead, I ended up feeling burnt out and exhausted because I wanted to be seen as important and responsible. The next time I felt like my workload was too much, a coworker of mine offered to do one of my tasks. I allowed her to, and I felt much better. People are there to help you succeed, so always say yes to help.

What advice would you give?

The biggest advice I would give to students as they enter into an internship is to be confident in yourself. It could seem scary and nerve-racking to enter a professional place, but if you are confident that you can do whatever is put in front of you, then there is no need to worry. An internship is there to give you the opportunity to learn and grow, so don’t beat yourself up if it is challenging or a hard adjustment. Have a good attitude, be confident, and you will be just fine.

Career Connections