By Jasmine Forte
It’s an exciting and rewarding feeling to be one of 36 students selected for the Opportunity Greensboro 2016 Fellows Program this summer. This program allows area students to gain industry experience and build their resumés through internships with companies in Greensboro. As an intern at RLF Communications and a cohort of the fellows program, I am excited to embark on a summer of learning, networking and exploring the city of Greensboro!
To kick off the program, there was a “Chat and Chew” at HQ Greensboro where all the cohorts mingled and enjoyed Mellow Mushroom pizza. Over the next two days we participated in Leonard Kaplan Leadership Institute Training at the Center for Creative Leadership. It was such a life-changing experience! I learned about unlocking and understanding my leadership potential by identifying different elements and drivers of effective leadership. I also learned how to maximize my leadership capacity as well as address personal challenges that I may face during my internship.
Through the fellows program I have been able to network with a number of Greensboro leaders. VF Corporation hosted a welcome reception for the program funders, mentors, internship hosts and fellows. It was a wonderful reception and I was able to build connections with many leaders in the Triad.
The fellows program has also paired me with a mentor in my prospective career field. I aspire to be an attorney and my post-graduation plan is to attend law school, so my mentor is an attorney in Greensboro. Over the course of the 10-week fellows program, I will have the chance to develop a professional relationship with my mentor and receive career advice.
When I’m not working hard at my internship, I have time to explore and enjoy the city of Greensboro. For example, this summer, Greensboro is offering free hour-long exercise classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Center City Park! One evening some fellows and I participated in the exercise and then grabbed dinner from Ghassan’s food truck! There are many other exciting activities for the fellows to enjoy, such as: the Fun Fourth Festival; dinner at Hop’s Burger bar; kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding at Lake Brandt; and even attending a Greensboro Grasshoppers game!
Although I am just three weeks into the program, I anticipate that I will gain experience in my field and better understand what it means to be a young professional in the city!
