The last 2 weeks have flown by and now the summer interns are in their last week of interning! We can’t believe how fast the summer went, but by all accounts, it’s been a great one. Students had the opportunity to visit a number of co-working spaces, incubators, and even a large corporation with a passion for innovation! Here are some of the highlights from the last 2 weeks:
Getting ready for the panel at Create Space
Interns checking out Create Space on the Loop
Entrance to Skandalaris intern Neena Wang’s photo exhibit
Friday, July 24 – interns visited Create Space on the Loop to hear from Sam Fox Alum Julia Li and U City Mayor Shelley Welsch, and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Gail Snider. An added bonus – Create Space Intern Neena Wang had her own photo exhibit showing at the artisan market and incubator!
After the panel and tour around the space, students also heard from Anthony Bartlett of St. Louis Transplants. Anthony talked about why St. Louis is a great city for startups and why students should consider staying.
Following that, students learned how to craft a concise pitch that encompassed their whole story from Dan Reus, of Openly Disruptive.
Hearing from Wells Fargo Advisors
Hearing from former Skandalaris intern Joely Grieff
Friday, July 31 – interns trekked to Wells Fargo Advisors to check out their new Innovation Lab and hear from former Skandalaris Center intern, and 2015 alum, Joely Grieff! Students learned about the importance of innovating in a large corporation such as Wells Fargo and how Wells Fargo is serving the community, including supporting Washington University students!
Tackling the Marshmallow Challenge
Then the Wells Fargo folks had some fun with the interns. If you haven’t ever tackled the Marshmallow Challenge – I highly recommend you try it – it’s not for the faint of heart!
Learning to “Yes, and . . .”
Learning to tell stories on the fly
Fun with Improv
Then, the interns had even more fun with Washington University in St. Louis Alums Nick Apperson and Ben Noble (also a former Skandalaris Center Summer Intern). Nick and Ben are improvisers and kindly donated their time to teach students how improv skills apply to their professional life, and working in a startup. After that session, students applied their new skills in “Yes, and . . .” to the final project presentations. The judges were impressed with what the students accomplished in 10 short weeks.
We at the Skandalaris Center had a great summer and are proud of the great work the interns did with their venture hosts and how dedicated they were to their venture concepts for the summer. This Friday concludes the program with a celebration. But the lessons don’t stop there – students are continuing with project ideas, considering working in a startup, dreaming up their own big ideas, and thinking about the possibility of a life in St. Louis after graduation. All in all – a very successful summer!