Students at the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business learn early in their college career the added value of having an internship before graduation.
This summer, Ivy students are engaging in a wide range of internships to add real-world experience before they graduate. Meet Jena Edwards, who shared why a summer internship is adding valuable experience during her college career.
Edwards, a sophomore from DeWitt, Iowa, studying marketing, human resource management, and international business, spent her summer as a human resource intern with Sammons Financial Group in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Each day as an intern looks different for Edwards, so finding the ability to adapt is a necessity for her role. Typically, she works in Que, a software system the employees use to reach human resources with work-related questions. Other days are spent organizing and executing the Sammons Financial Group Book Club, creating promotional materials advertising to Drake students the importance of taking the SIE Exam, and brainstorming ideas for an intern business etiquette course. Edwards’ role also gives her the platform to network and learn each person’s unique role in human resources.
Though her daily tasks vary, Edwards’ favorite project has been planning and executing the Employee Stock Ownership Vesting Ceremony. Every year, Sammons Financial Group brings employees from around the company together to celebrate those who have worked at the company for three years, making them fully vested. Edwards’ group went into planning the event with little guidance and was told to, “make it your own.” Seeing this event through from start to finish, Edwards placed orders for all food and drinks, helped set up, and then was able to network at the event while seeing first-hand how much Sammons Financial Group cares for its employees.
Edwards found this internship after some help from the Ivy staff. After feeling lost with what direction she wanted to take her major, Edwards sat down with Michele Tapp, assistant director of undergraduate student services and academic advisor, who helped her figure out that either human resources or marketing seemed like the best career path for her.
“I love the people side of business,” Edwards said. “In both of these majors I am guaranteed a position where I will be working with people, to benefit people. Each day is also different in these positions. Both marketing and human resources can throw you in multiple directions on any given day and I like the fact that it is unknown until you are in the moment.”
After determining this, she worked with Bobbi Sullivan, assistant director of business career services and career coordinator, to improve her resume and LinkedIn profile, which were both beneficial in obtaining this internship. Edwards knew she wanted to be in the Des Moines area, so after talking with insurance companies and financial institutions at the career fairs, she conducted her own research and found Sammons Financial Group, 
which offered broad opportunities in both marketing and human resources for people who did not have a lot of experience in either area.
“I wanted to know that I would be able to dip into each area of the field that I was working in, instead of being confined to one specific role,” Edwards said.
This internship did not come easy. Prior to applying to Sammons Financial Group, she applied to numerous internships and participated in many interviews before being offered the position. “To anyone pursuing an internship, do not stop trying,” she said. “The right opportunity will come to you, even if it is one that you didn’t foresee.”
What’s her advice to current and future interns? “Do not stop asking questions. This is your opportunity to speak to people who have been in their careers for years and have endless experiences. Take a piece of paper with you wherever you go to write down your questions. I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t been willing to have a one-on-one with me to get those questions answered. There are always opportunities to sit in on meetings, job shadow people, and participate in events. Your co-workers are there to help you learn and for you to get the most you can out of being with their company!”
To connect with Jena Edwards or follow her collegiate and professional journey, visit her LinkedIn profile.
