Launch Local Announces the Winner of the $1000 "Summer Internship Olympics" Award

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Aug. 16, 2013 - PRLog -- The "Summer Olympic" Internship Program was designed to make learning FUN.The contest, based on the reality television show Survivor, aimed to find the best intern of the summer from 10 different colleges and universities. Students enrolled from each college or university and was handed the opportunity to gain valuable experience in advertising, marketing, professional selling and business.  Students were eliminated based on their lack of determination and drive to complete specific requirements. Each intern received a checklist with 50 tasks to earned stars based on completion. The criteria by which each intern was challenged was broken down into categories of work ethic, social media & networking, leadership skills, retention & comprehension, professional selling, business management & record keeping, and organizational communications.

This year’s 2013 Summer Olympic contestant winner is Allie Lairamore, a senior sport management student at Slippery Rock University. Allie is walking away from this summer internship with an extra $1000, on top of what she made this summer, an experience that builds her resume, a network of people that she can reference for advice, but most importantly a new set of skills and confidence that she will have for life.


We asked Allie how this internship at Launch Local differed from some of the other Internships she had. She states, “This internship was different from the others that I have done because of the relationships I have made and responsibilities that I was given. I felt like this internship really treated me like I was a full time part of their team, and most of the time I forgot I was only there for the summer.”

Allie explains,” I learned the importance of team work and what it takes to train and manage different types of personalities.” Her daily responsibilities included mentoring new brand ambassadors in valuable code of conduct lessons to ensure the success of the client kick off in the community to understudying the campaign managers in the behind the scene strategic  development of mapping and tracking of the launch. Allie also had the opportunity to work on different campaigns for clients such as the Pittsburgh Pirates, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, and a variety of salons, golf courses, and restaurants.

We asked Allie what made her stand out from the other summer students at launch local, and she states.”I believe that what made me so different is my attitude and work ethic. When I didn’t want to do something, I remembered why I was here, and where I want to go (in life).” Allie also told us that her “sports minded “competitive edge also came into play. “Every time I would see another intern do something I didn’t do yet, it was always a competition to get it done and one-up them.”

We asked the same question to Linda Barton Launch Local’s CEO and she states, “Allie had awesome leadership skills and a great head on her shoulders. Whenever something didn’t seem right, she always took the initiative to investigate and fix a problem that others may not have seen. “ Ms. Barton goes on to say,” I thought it was going to be a tough decision at first, but within the first few weeks of our Summer Olympics 5 students dropped out because it was more challenging than they imagined.  It’s not the “sit around and make copies” type of internship. It’s extremely hands on. The students get to dig in and be involved with the team and in all facets at Launch Local.”

Ms. Barton goes on to say “All the students that we had were great kids. The last 5 had really surpassed our expectations.” Two of the last contestants as “runner ups” were Jessica Finkler from University of Mount Union and Dumitru-Silviu Mistreanu from Youngstown State University.  Ms. Barton goes on to say, “But I’m really proud of Allie, out of all the other students, she really had the most obstacles to overcome than the rest of them.”

 After talking with Allie about her experiences, we asked her what surprised her most about this internship experience. She states “Communication and the people skills was by far what I learned the most”.  She goes on to explain, “I never thought that I lacked in that department until I started talking to strangers, and realized how uncomfortable I was. But now after this internship, whenever I’m walking down the street, I always want to approach people and start a conversation.”

Allie expressed that she is excited to take the skills she learned with her back to finish her last year at Slippery Rock University. Ms. Lairamore’s ultimate goal after graduation is to work for a professional sports team, preferably in the NFL.

 

 

Students interested in applying for 2014 Contest should apply on company website: www.launchlocal.net