What excited you about enFocus and why did you apply for an internship?
Shaima: The most appealing part about the enFocus internship to me was the level of critical thinking it entailed. As a student, math has always been my favorite subject. I enjoy the challenge of having a problem to solve and digging deep into your brain to utilize all that you’ve learned before finding a solution. In class, the answer wasn’t always straightforward, so you often had to do some critical thinking and dot-connecting on the spot to reach it. enFocus seemed to provide the same sense of challenge with the projects they have you work on, and to me, that was enough to choose this job over any other.
Chandler: I have a passion for civic and national service, and I felt that an enFocus internship could be a great opportunity to intertwine that passion with data analytics and innovation. I was particularly excited by the idea that enFocus has its finger on the pulse of innovation and small-town renewal across Northern Indiana.
The internship has allowed me to do work that leaves a lasting, physical mark on the community, while building great connections with interns, Fellows and the people of St. Joseph and Elkhart County.
Moreover, there is an excellent work climate at enFocus, where each intern has a lot of agency to shape the work they’re undertaking.
Shivangi: The impact that enFocus has on the community is something that excited me when I first learned about the internship program. I have always wanted to translate my knowledge and skills in business to a positive impact on the community around me. Fortunately, enFocus does exactly that by integrating interns into civic and industry-driven projects with an intentional purpose to create positive impact for the community at large.
What projects have you been working on this summer?
Shaima: My primary project as a summer intern was The Green Schools Initiative (GSI), in partnership with Elkhart County’s Solid Waste Management District. The GSI is an educational program for students between K-12th grade. The program operates on a credit-reward system, with challenges for students to complete, and in return, they earn money. The goal of the program is to educate students on the importance of recycling and waste reduction. This summer, I have been analyzing the results of the GSI pilot program by gathering feedback from school ambassadors. I am also researching best practices of similar programs and designing improvements for next year’s GSI program.
Chandler: My primary project is a commissioned ‘Downtown Vibrancy Assessment’ by the Elkhart County Conventions and Visitors Bureau. In order to benchmark future growth objectives and understand the strengths and challenges facing Elkhart County cities, we collected a variety of data points to inform each city’s downtown health and its community impact. In many ways, the downtown is the heart and soul of a community, and the data we collected is being used to draw forth the narratives of Elkhart Count, which will aid in better allocation of funding and effort toward future initiatives from the ECCVB. The day-to-day work on the project consisted of interviews with town leaders and community members, focus groups, survey data collection, and research into census statistics and other metrics, which all came together in a comprehensive report and a presentation to major Elkhart County stakeholders.
Shivangi: I have been working on creating a sustainable marketing strategy as my primary project for ETHOS Innovation Center, a non-profit aimed at helping children and adults engage with science and technology through hands-on programs. My marketing recommendations are a part of an overarching growth strategy that enFocus Fellows have been working on for ETHOS.
In addition, I have been working with a team on a business development project with Healthy Points, which is a social platform aimed to empower positive behavior change among at-risk pregnant women for a healthier future. Our team has been helping Healthy Points validate market segments to grow their business. Our work has included customer interviews and development of additional website features to attract customers.
What have you learned while working at enFocus?
Shaima: As a Biology major, I had never given much thought to careers outside of the medical field; I was convinced that if you’re good at something, you need to stick to it and do nothing else. enFocus made me realize that that is not the case. During my time at enFocus, I worked on projects completely outside of my realm of expertise, and I surprised myself with how well I did.
Thanks to the opportunities at enFocus, along with the constant help and support provided by the entire team, I feel much more confident in my ability to succeed in fields outside of healthcare.
Chandler: Every day at enFocus has been an adventure! The nature of my project and the opportunities offered while I’ve been here have kept me constantly learning and adapting to new challenges and opportunities. I’ve taken away a new perspective on civic innovation and nonprofit work and a new skillset in research methodology and conducting focus groups with community stakeholders.
Shivangi: Being a finance major, I was not very familiar with marketing. During these 8 weeks, I was able to immerse myself into a whole new subject area and become an expert on marketing best practices relevant to a non-profit that operates in the Elkhart region. I was also able to learn a lot about website development, which is something I never thought I could venture into, through working with Healthy Points.
What has been your favorite part about interning in the South Bend-Elkhart region?
Shaima: Personally, my favorite part about the region was its familiarity to me. I’m originally from Granger, which is basically South Bend’s roommate. Although I was hesitant about interning near home, I was actually surprised at how “not South Bend-y” these past eight weeks have felt.
Working alongside people from literally all around the world was definitely a huge factor in shaping the experience I had. I enjoyed going to local places I knew with people I’m meeting for the first time.
The level of diversity in the internship program was nothing short of a pouring fountain of new perspectives that I will appreciate and cherish forever.
Chandler: It’s been great to learn about the plethora of things to do, places to eat and shop, and the corporate scene in the South Bend-Elkhart region, all of which I had no idea about before this internship. It’s really easy for students attending college around South Bend to remain in a bubble separate from the city itself, so this summer has been an excellent opportunity to integrate myself into the city and explore the lesser-known parts of this community.
Shivangi: I have really enjoyed being a part of the South Bend-Elkhart community and networking with professionals from across the region. Through the enFocus speaker series and other intern events like lunch n’ learns, I was able to learn about new subject areas and meet new people.
