At the beginning of their careers, interns are diving into the business community wholeheartedly. They’re rolling their sleeves up and getting involved, and to our excitement, the Hula community is getting involved right alongside them. After INTERNPALOOZA last Thursday (National Intern Day!) I'm asking that you consider getting involved too. One conversation with an intern, a recent grad, or a student can make a real difference in whether they stay in Vermont or come back to it. It really can be that simple.
Julia O’Dwyer, Hula’s Community Partners Fund intern, felt the support right after she stepped off stage. Hula member Dan Hughes walked right up to her, eager to discuss the fintech company she’s hoping to launch someday. In Julia’s words:
"After introducing myself, Dan came right up to me excited to discuss the fintech company I'd love to start in the future. It was awesome to have the unique opportunity of an experienced entrepreneur excited to see what I had to share. We had a great conversation where I was able to bounce some ideas back and forth about my own startup (that's in the works). I left the conversation excited to connect with him in the future, free from the typical stress of networking, and eager to test out some new ideas he shared." —Julia O'Dwyer
14 brave interns got up and introduced themselves to the community, giving us a window into their lived experience this summer, sharing accomplishments and impactful work from their internships, and opening up about their takeaways and dreams for the future. After some audience Q&A, we broke into intentional networking where we “flipped the script”: non-intern attendees were given a sheet to jot down a few morsels from each presentation, then were tasked with finding an intern and asking them a question. As a recent graduate myself, I’m familiar with the intimidation factor of being a young person at a networking event dominated by more senior professionals. By asking community members to approach interns, we were able to create some really exciting collisions!
Seeing these interns’ transformations over the course of the summer has been such a fulfilling experience for me, and I’m grateful to everyone in this space for creating an environment where talented young folks can thrive. As Vermonters, one of the most important things we can do for our state is connect with and nurture young professionals, and this community has the capacity to make that happen. Hula believes that the more we can act as a platform for interns, co-ops, and student talent, the more we’re able to uplift our members, companies, partners, and other stakeholders in the Burlington innovation ecosystem. The result? A brighter, more innovative future for Vermont.
So… Is there an intern, a recent grad, a student at Hula you haven’t talked to yet? A quick intro, a chat over coffee, or even a LinkedIn connection can make the difference.
