What I liked
I am beyond excited to announce that during the summer I successfully completed my Management Training Program internship with 1st Day School Supplies! I entered into this position with 3 goals: improve my problem-solving skills, grow as a leader, and to harden my perseverance so that NO obstacle could prevent me from achieving my dreams.
During the course of my internship, I had the opportunity to explore a variety of roles. My responsibilities ranged from packaging every type of school supply to providing quality assurance for the first part of the production process. I also had the special opportunity to collaborate with two small teams of associates to activate an additional production line and to handle the company's bookbag sales operation.
Throughout all of these experiences, I was expected to quickly become proficient at my new responsibilities. There were no dedicated trainings; I had to rapidly learn the process by doing, and I had to constantly ensure accuracy. Every item handled was destined for the customer. Problem-solving and working to ensure effective communication was a daily endeavor. Every experience I encountered in the day-to-day operations helped me achieve the first two goals I set.
In order to achieve my third goal, I made a series of promises. First, I made a promise to myself when I began the interview process for this position that I would give this position everything I had, and in exchange, would get everything this position had for me. More importantly, I made a promise to Mr. Meadows that "I wouldn't let him down." No matter what he threw at me, I would do whatever it took to meet and exceed his expectations. Needless to say, some curveballs were thrown throughout the course of the summer, but I am proud to say that they were turned into homeruns.
I am walking away from this internship with everything that I could have ever wanted, and then some. I want to give a special thank you to Mike Meadows and Connie Meadows for the opportunity and their collective faith in my potential, Michael Meadows for his excellent leadership and challenging opportunities, all of the veteran associates for their mentorship, and my fellow associates for constantly challenging myself to continue to grow.