“Take a chance, step out of your comfort zone”

Working with THIS IS IT NETWORK™ has taught me how to network professionally with an array of different people. It really got me out of my comfort zone and I found myself talking to founders of huge companies. Something I learned during my time with THIS IS IT NETWORK™ is that it is important to put yourself in the right room with the right people because those are the people who are willing to help you. It is also extremely important to never say no, when you get invited to something, you NEED to go, you never know who or what can change your life. I’ve also learned the importance of “faking it ‘till you make it,” in stressful situations where I feel overwhelmed and might not believe I can do it. I’ve realized how to face those moments by reminding myself, “you got this,” or “everything is ok,” even when it might not feel like it. You need to have confidence in yourself, you have done the right stuff, you have done the work so at the end of the day you need to be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished. 

There have been hundreds of striking, inspirational women that I have met over my time with THIS IS IT NETWORK™, from single moms trying to raise their kids while juggling three jobs at once, to young women who are starting up their own businesses from scratch. All of them share the influential story of what it takes to be a successful woman in business today.

Most notably, one woman inspires me daily through her ambition, drive, and determination. That woman would be my boss, Cheldin Barlatt Rumer, who is an absolute power-house that will do anything and everything she can to help people start their business. Cheldin is also a mom, wife, adjunct professor, and the CEO/Founder of THIS IS IT NETWORK™, but wears many other hats as well. She manages to keep close, real relationships with everyone in her network and at the same time, expands the network daily. Together, we are always running around on little missions and hosting events, where I’m beyond happy to say I constantly find myself in rooms full of inspiring women who are changing the world one day at a time. Then, it is hard not to mention my amazing team, which I absolutely love and has been a pleasure with which to work.

Some of the key skills that I can take away from this internship so far is that I now know how to put together a 3-day conference with over 150 attendees. I was able to work with several sponsors to help put on this conference and coordinate other related events as well. I also learned the importance of at the very least, asking, when it comes to sponsors. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know, so the best method is reaching out to as many as you can.

Through this idea I was able to get many of our clients into new events and help them set up new activations. I’m looking forward to running more events at THIS IS IT NETWORK™, and continuing to learn every time that even though not everything is going to work out the way I want it to, I know how to better prepare for the next time. I’m very happy to announce that I will be staying with THIS IS IT NETWORK™ next semester as well and am beyond excited to do a lot of traveling to our target markets soon. I can’t wait to meet more amazing women and help set up some more amazing events. 

Lastly, a bit of advice to students who are looking for an internship is to make a connection with someone at the company you’re applying to early on. If a certain person begins to inspire you at an internship you’re considering, follow it through and see where it takes you. For me, working for Cheldin and THIS IS IT NETWORK™ has taken me to more places than I could’ve hoped for.