Barnes & Conti in the Community – Confessions of a Teenaged Intern

Being an intern at Barnes & Conti was more than just wonderful, it was a hands-on and life changing experience. I had the opportunity to do things that teenagers don’t usually get to do. I searched for various companies that Barnes & Conti would be able to train and help those businesses become better at what they do. I had to search for those companies in specific areas, such as Houston, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, Cleveland, Ohio and so on. I learned how to use the Excel Spreadsheet to record all of the information that I found during my research. I read numerous magazines based on bettering companies so that my sponsor can contact the author and get some information. I also looked for the email addresses/phone numbers for companies that attended a past conference so that B&C can contact. Last, but not least, I organized a schedule on Excel based on the hours that each employee work Monday through Friday. Who ever thought that I would be able to do things like that at this age?

It was a life changing experience to me because I was able to do a whole bunch of things and learn so much in so little time. Everything that is done is a life changing experience, in my point of view. The reason why I say that is because if it’s done, then we’re learning from it and it gives our life a little more experience & challenge. Barnes & Conti Associates has proven itself to be an excellent place to be an intern and show you what it’s like in the business world.

Grace Boone, Marketing Manager and my sponsor, was such a terrific person to work with. She’s a very understanding and helpful person. Grace always had a smile on, which made my day brighter. She assigned me many tasks to complete, but it wasn’t that bad. Those assignments actually taught me more about the B&C world, which is pretty interesting because I didn’t know anything about B&C when I first started. She helped me reach my understanding of this company and how it works and for everything that she has taught and shown me, I thank her.

I have gained so much knowledge during my past month at Barnes & Conti. I didn’t think that my experience here would feel like it did. Before my first day of interning, I had pictured my work here as typing papers onto the computer, which is crazily boring. But during the amazing time that I spent here, I realize that there’s more to a business company than just boring paper work. There are lots of things that need to be contributed in order to have an excellent business and Barnes & Conti has it all. There are the great people that I get to work with, the positive attitude in the work environment, being able to gain new and useful knowledge and last, but not least, having fun while doing something that doesn’t only impact me, it impacts the business as well.

Written by Nadia Saephan.

To learn more about Girls, Inc of Alameda County and their Eureka! Program, visit: http://girlsinc-alameda.org/programs/index.htm