Inside Indiana Business: Indiana INTERNnet Unveils IMPACT Award Winners
The following article appeared in Inside Indiana Business on February 18, 2020.
CARMEL - Indiana INTERNnet has unveiled the winners of the annual IMPACT Awards. The awards celebrate interns and companies throughout the state. The 14 winners were selected from more than 150 nominees.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business Host Gerry Dick, Executive Director Mike Slocum said the program’s growth has been crucial for workforce development.
“It’s important because internships are no longer something we do as a favor to the boss because their niece or nephew needs an internship in the summer,” said Slocum. “This is a legitimate talent development and attraction opportunity. So for our students, they’re learning valuable skills to stand out above their peers and our employers, they’re cutting the line and they’re able to connect with students before they graduate.”
Indiana INTERNnet was created by the chamber to link employers, students, high schools, colleges and universities with internship opportunities.
The 2020 IMPACT Award winners include:
College Intern of the Year: Olatundun Awosanya (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis)
High School Intern of the Year (three-way tie):
Zavion Herron (Center for Civic Innovation Notre Dame; Riley High School, South Bend)
Shelby Waligora (Community Foundation DeKalb County; DeKalb High School, Auburn)
Taylor Wylie (The Cedars Retirement Home; Woodlan Jr./Sr. High School, Allen County)
Non-Traditional Intern of the Year: Harini Kamalakkannan (The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis)
Intern Supervisor of the Year: Sonya Snellenberger-Holm (Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, Fort Wayne)
College Career Development Professional of the Year: Abiodun Durojaye (Ivy Tech Community College, Valparaiso)
High School Career Development Professional of the Year: Brienne Sprunger (Garrett High School, DeKalb County)
Employer of the Year (For-profit): Intersection Advertising Agency (Muncie)
Employer of the Year (Non-profit): Indianapolis Airport Authority
David R. McKinnis Community Partner Award: Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership (Fort Wayne)
David R. McKinnis Community Partner Award: enFocus, Inc. (South Bend)
David R. McKinnis Community Partner Award: The Gregory S. Fehribach Center (Indianapolis)
You can read more about the winners from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce by clicking here.