Our internship program strives to provide students with real-world experience that they can apply to their schoolwork and future careers. Our interns work alongside our team members on various projects over the summer. We sat down with Bennett and Alyssa to learn more about their experience and what they learned this summer. Here’s what they had to say.

What is your focus in school?

Bennett: I am from Edwardsburg, Michigan and attend Michigan State University. I am currently in the process of earning a degree in Applied Engineering.

Alyssa: I am from Bright, Indiana. I am a Senior at Indiana State University majoring in Interior Architecture Design and with a minor in Construction Management.

Can you tell us about your experience interning at OI?

Bennett: This summer has been challenging yet enlightening. Every day brought a new set of problems and opportunities to learn something a classroom could not teach you. With the help of many of the employees here, anything that came across my plate I had hands to help me when needed. There is a willingness unlike no other when you ask for help because everyone wants you to succeed to your highest potential.

Alyssa: Overall, the experience at OI was excellent. The office has a warm and welcoming environment which made it easy to communicate with one another. The team was patient and collaborative when it came to hands-on work.

What did you learn at OI that you didn’t expect to learn going into your internship?

Bennett: I was really able to see the process of running a business and how to keep a business running as efficiently as possible. Between meetings and discussions, those in charge were constantly seeking new ways to expedite the process to improve the overall experience at OI for clients and employees. From this I learned there is not just one person who can run a whole business, it takes a larger and supportive group to get the job done.

Alyssa: What I learned that I didn’t anticipate learning so much about value engineering products and vendors. With value engineering, we were able to find product or vendor alternatives that brought the costs down for the customer without sacrificing the final look or quality of the design.

What’s the culture like at OI?

Bennett: This is my first internship so my expectations for future jobs are very high. At OI, everyone is so kind and welcoming it’s difficult to want to leave. With constant “good mornings” and “how are you doing?”, the people really care about you not only as an employee but as a person.

Alyssa: The culture at Office Interiors is connected, motivated, and passionate towards their work, coworkers, and customers. Every day they strive to make their customers happy and to make each day better than the last.

What advice would you give our future interns?

Bennett: Some advice I have for the future interns that come in is to always ask for help when you need it because everyone here is so kind and generous to offer their knowledge to aid you in your learning and growing process. Another tip is to never back down from a challenge or opportunity; some of the most beneficial things I had learned from working here came from some of the hardest tasks.

Alyssa: The advice that I would give future interns would be to take plenty of notes because you learn so much every day and the knowledge is very useful! I will be taking a lot of what I learned this summer and applying in the classroom and future jobs.

Do you think this internship prepared you for your future?

Bennett: Yes, absolutely! I truly feel this internship gave me the experience to not only further my knowledge in school but apply these skills in future positions as well. With various backgrounds in a workplace like this, being able to communicate effectively with all people became very beneficial.

Alyssa: I do believe that this internship better prepared me for the final year of my degree. I plan on using the skills and lessons I learned through the summer to their full extent when completing projects and other coursework.

Bennett and Alyssa were amazing additions to our team this summer and we wish them the best as they return to school this fall. Office Interiors and Vista Technologies take pride in making sure that all our interns get the most out of their internship by giving them hands-on experience with interior and audiovisual design. To learn more about our internship program or to apply, visit our careers page.