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FROM THE INTERN’S DESK: MEET VANESSA

FROM THE INTERN’S DESK: MEET VANESSA

FROM THE INTERN’S DESK: MEET VANESSA
 
This is the first in the series of blog posts from The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce Spring Intern Vanessa Robbins.

Walk into your nearest grocery store, restaurant, or college campus- you will most likely see someone you know. If you were born and raised in “the valley”, it is pretty much guaranteed you will see someone you know on any given night out. I remember during my time in high school at Wyoming Area my fellow classmates would chatter about how once they graduated, they were moving! Turns out that many of those who move away from the Wilkes-Barre area end up coming straight back, to return to the home they once left.

Wilkes-Barre is an area with endless possibilities. Our area delivers top-notch education at universities like Penn State Wilkes-Barre, King’s College, and Wilkes University.  The four seasons that Northeastern Pennsylvania offers makes it the prime area for any outdoors lover. It is effortless to walk the streets of Public Square and smell a mixture of various ethnic cuisines to suit anyone’s palette. Small businesses pop up every few months or so and captivate the hearts of locals and inspire entrepreneurs. One especially inspiring business that you can find at 2 Public Square is the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce.
 
Let Me Briefly Introduce Myself!
I am a Luzerne County native that has spent my whole life living in the area. For the past few years I have been attending Penn State Wilkes-Barre in efforts to receive my Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications. I will be graduating This May (FINALLY). It has taken me longer to get my college degree because I flip-flopped my major one or two times. Originally, I entered as a freshman with a Corporate Communications degree. My family is predominately employed in the medical field, and convinced me to switch my major to Physical Therapy. Long story short, that career path was not for me and I should have just stuck to my gut. Ever since I switched back to the major I originally started with, I feel like my life has fallen into place. I received a part-time job as a social media assistant, gained an internship here, and feel happier than I have been in a long time.
 
Throughout my short time here I will be updating this blog on how I spend my days learning at the Chamber. I’ll try my best to keep it interesting.
 
My First Two Weeks as an Intern
Your first time walking into the office can be a little nerve-wracking.
Will they like me?
What will I be doing today?
Did I bring everything I need?
 
These questions might seem pressing to you as you are first introduced to staff members but in all reality… relax.  Nobody is here to belittle you, or pick out what you do and don’t know about your intern position. Interning is supposed to be fun and educational. My experience working with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce is exactly that.

My first week consisted of getting comfortable in the office and researching. One of the big parts of my internship here is creating posts for our blog. So, I researched some of my favorite intern-run blog posts and used them for inspiration! Week 2 at the Chamber included some more research and drafting future posts that I am interested in creating. My supervisor, Meghan Flanagan, let me take a sneak peek at future Chamber events in the making and the marketing that will go along with it. There are lots of fun Chamber events that will be popping up in the next coming months, and I am very excited about it!

I am eager to start networking and meet more people through future conferences, member events, and the interning experience. Before even applying to intern at the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce I attended their Young Leadership Awards as a student. Even though I wasn’t even a member of the Chamber I met so many people that I would have never otherwise gotten the opportunity to do so. When I pulled into the parking lot for the awards ceremony I had to squeeze into a tight space to park my Jeep. The woman who parked next to me left her car at the same exact time as me and struck up a conversation about our careers. Turns out, she worked for the Times Leader local newspaper. A few days later we connected on LinkedIn. Opportunities are truly endless when interacting with the Chamber and its events. 
 
I’ve had nothing but good experiences here at the Chamber so far, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of spring semester holds. Check back next week to see what I’ve been up to!

Vanessa, the Intern 
 
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