I’m often writing about what is going on in the non-profit world both here in the Greater Houston Area as well as around the country but I thought that today I would give you a little “behind the scenes” glimpse of Positive Force Consulting. Since starting my business 3 years ago, it’s pretty much been a one woman show. But recently, I’ve brought on an intern from (where else?) Texas A&M University. Everyone, please meet Kathryn Kalman!
Last October, I had the pleasure of speaking at my alma mater’s “COMM Days“. After addressing a classroom full of students I was asked if I ever needed an intern. My answer was “of course!” but because I work from my home and my business is very cyclical, having a full-time intern is not necessary. There are some months when I have plenty of work and others where I can relax a bit. And not all people might be comfortable working from my home…especially with a newborn baby and two dogs to contend with! So having an intern is not something I’ve ever really considered. After my speech was over, Kathryn came up and introduced herself to me. As it turns out, not only was she interested in an internship but is from Katy and comes home nearly every weekend to visit her family. She told me that she had no problem working long distance and if needed, from my house. I could not have been more excited! I was desperate to find a way to keep up with the ever growing details and demands of my work and with Baby Bullet’s debut just around the corner, the timing could not have been better.
Before I go on about Kathryn, though, let me just share the reasons I am so gung-ho on internships in general. I think the real world experience of interning is a necessary compliment to going to school. Interns are able to confirm or confound what they’re learning in textbooks and listening to in lectures and they can be more confident in continuing on their professional path. I speak from experience; during college I was an intern for a nonprofit and it absolutely helped to set the path for my career. The tasks I handled and the mentors I met confirmed that I was heading in the right direction. I was fortunate enough to be offered a full-time position with the organization I interned for and, well, the rest is history. Fast forward a few years and I am still fulfilled by and grateful for the kind of work I do. For businesses, both large and small, I think it is our duty to assist our community’s young adults in realizing their professional aspirations and connecting them with people and opportunities that enable them to reach their goals. I also believe it is key to the success of any business to bring on fresh talent. New blood brings new ideas. And new ideas are a good way to keep your business moving forward in our ever-changing world. Now speaking of fresh talent…
I cannot say enough good things about Kathryn. She is the definition of a “go-getter”. In addition to interning remotely and on weekends, she is a Marketing major with a minor in both Communication and Art History and working towards a certificate in International Business. In person, she’s just as impressive: smart, dedicated, detail-oriented, and not afraid to “jump in” to projects without needing anyone to hold her hand. In short, she helps me out a great deal. When I asked her what draws her to this line of work, she told me, “Like my dad, I am definitely a “people-person”! I love working with lots of different people and being busy so the work that Positive Force does really satisfies that need I have to make people happy and keep things interesting!” I’m certainly no psychic but I can predict that she’ll do incredibly well in in all facets of her life with that attitude.
So what can you expect from Kathryn at Positive Force Consulting? Well, she is going to be my right-hand woman for plenty of events coming up! We’ve got the Lookin’ Good Shamrock Strut next month, the Jacob Green Celebrity Golf Classic in April, and the Cinco Ranch Rotary 5K in May, not to mention the summer and fall events I’m not at liberty to discuss right now (make sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter to find out the scoop). She’s already handling a lot of the organizational details to begin promoting these events and she’ll definitely be out there with me on the “day of” to make sure everything flows smoothly.
So please join me in welcoming Kathryn to the team….and Kathryn, thank you for being such an integral part of Positive Force Consulting! I couldn’t do it without ya!
