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2023 IMPACT Award Winners

Powerful Performances in Internships, Mentoring

By Symone C. Skrzycki

Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery (left) chats with IMPACT Award winners about their experiences.

What happens when interns and mentors dedicate their talents and tenacity to enhancing the future of students and employers throughout Indiana?

A sold-out crowd of 350 gathered to hear these inspiring stories at the Work-Based Learning IMPACT Summit featuring the 17th Annual IMPACT Awards on February 21.

The event was hosted by Work and Learn Indiana (WLI), which cultivates the creation and expansion of high-quality experiential opportunities within Indiana. It connects employers, learners, high schools, colleges and universities via its free, dynamic, searchable database and matching and reporting system. WLI is a program of the Institute for Workforce Excellence, which is a subsidiary of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

There were 10 categories and approximately 100 nominations!

Honorees:

• College Intern of the Year: Alex Lefever (Rose Hulman Institute of Technology)
• High School Intern of the Year: Arda Kurauma (Penn High School, Center for Civic Innovation at the University of Notre Dame)
• Adult Learner Intern of the Year: Kristina Tague (United Way of Central Indiana)
• Intern Supervisor of the Year: Anna Larson (The Garrett Companies)
• College Career Development Professional of the Year: Brandy Bast (Marian University)
• High School Career Development Professional of the Year: Apryl Kidd (Shoals, Mitchell, and Orleans School Corporations)
• Adult Learner Career Development Professional of the Year: Lamarr Pottinger (NCAA)
• Employer of the Year (For-profit): Boston Scientific Corporation
• Employer of the Year (Non-profit): Nextech
• David R. McKinnis Community Partner Award: South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce

Meet four of these honorees in our exclusive BizVoice® Digital story and learn about all of the winners at www.workandlearnindiana.com/impact-awards.

Kristina Tague, United Way of Central Indiana
Intern of the Year (Adult Learner)
Kristina Tague impressed employees at United Way of Central Indiana in a variety of ways. Among them: efforts to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of the HR team (and therefore the organization). Along with enhancing its filing process and updating the learning management system, she researched best practices and made recommendations regarding topics such as leave policies and supplemental benefits. Recently, she took on the task of screening interns and entry-level candidates for hiring managers to help elevate some of the pressure with year-end needs.

She also eagerly assists with United Way’s fun activities such as a baseball game, fall festival and other team events.

“Kristina is the kind of intern that every HR leader dreams of having,” declares MeChelle Callen, chief talent and culture officer at United Way of Central Indiana. “From day one, Kristina has actively participated in meetings, shared ideas, conducted research and brought that information to the forefront for discussion. She also brings a diverse viewpoint to the HR team and shares her ideas and experiences freely and without fear or reservation.

Anna Larson, The Garrett Companies (Greenwood)
Intern Supervisor of the Year
Anna Larson spearheaded the creation, branding and evolution of the Garrett Internship Program (GIP) into a nationally recognized and award-winning program.

Consistency and compassion are two of her trademark qualities.

Last summer, 21 college interns and six high school interns participated in the program. Every week, she met with them one on one. She connected them with networking opportunities and helped enrich their knowledge of the industry.

“Anna most importantly has a genuine interest for our interns,” comments Matt Griffin, chief operating officer at The Garrett Companies. “She wants to see them succeed. Anna coaches interns to help achieve their goals, makes connections to help grow their network and helps them refine their career path.

“We expect to have a great internship program and Anna allows us to have a great program and the personal touch with each individual intern. She even stays in contact with previous interns to check in and see how she can be a resource in their current career.”

Apryl Kidd (Regional Opportunity Initiatives)
Career Development Professional of the Year (High School)
Apryl Kidd has flourished as director of COSMOS (Collaboration of Shoals, Mitchell and Orleans Schools). She works to establish high school career pathways with employers in rural areas – particularly in high-demand sectors like manufacturing and increasing collaboration between local organizations.

Kidd is passionate about introducing students to industry connections starting in elementary and middle school. Among her accomplishments was establishing Manufacturing Week as an opportunity for eighth grade students to explore manufacturing careers as they consider high school pathway enrollment.

“Apryl’s persistence and focus are standout qualities,” remarks Emily Menkedick, education specialist at Regional Opportunity Initiatives. “Whether working with students, teachers, employers or community leaders, Apryl’s focus is always increasing opportunity for students. She is able to think through deeply engrained barriers to find ways forward.

“Apryl’s true strength is that she wholeheartedly believes that all students are deserving of engaging experiences that position them to be successful at whatever career path they choose. Her leadership and collaboration open doors for students and lowers barriers for employers, making work-based learning and internship opportunities a reality for many across the COSMOS.”

Nextech
Employer of the Year (Non-Profit)
Nextech Catapult is the organization’s immersive, six-week paid internship program for steering high school students toward a career in tech. Interns are affectionately dubbed Catapults. Fifty-nine percent are from an under-represented population.

“The internship has four goals for each student,” explains president Karen Jung. “We want them to increase their technical skills, deepen their knowledge of Indiana tech careers and the paths to them, develop the grit and determination needed to be successful in any career, and realize a sense of community amongst themselves and with the broader tech ecosystem.”

Each intern participates in these (and other) activities:

• Hears from 12 to15 guest speakers that are employed in a technical role for a regional employer
• Visits four to seven workplaces, including employers such as Eli Lilly, OneAmerica, Greenlight Guru, High Alpha, Republic Airways and more
• Engages in mentoring from TechPoint Xterns (one hour per week during the summer)
• Participates in four to six workshops focused on postsecondary readiness (e.g., financial literacy, interview skills and professional networking).

With the success of the Indianapolis site and 90% of Catapults pursuing a computer science/tech-related degree, Catapult expanded to its second site in the Evansville area in summer 2022 and will grow to its third site in the Uplands Region during summer 2023.