The Castle Rock, Colorado, native is a double major in accounting and business administration. With many family members working as accountants, the internship allowed Yost to finally see himself on that same path.

鈥淚t鈥檚 allowed me to realize that this is something I want to pursue. It has made me feel better because I wasn鈥檛 sure what I wanted to do, and now just being there I love it,鈥� Yost said. 鈥淢y dad is an accountant and growing up it was hard for me to understand what he does, but now I have a greater appreciation for it.鈥�

Yost spent his time managing spreadsheets, documents and reports to support coworkers and partners. While the data-heavy nature of accounting can be a challenge, Yost learned to navigate the workload by leaning into the firm’s collaborative culture.

鈥淚鈥檓 constantly communicating with higher partners that have more experience. I learn by doing and they have taught me how to do things I have difficulty with,鈥� Yost said.

The supportive environment at CORE CPAs proved to be a highlight for Yost.

鈥淚t makes me feel accomplished. I found something that I鈥檓 good at and that I really enjoy doing,鈥� he said.

Yost said he鈥檚 learned many things working for this company and is excited to see where it can take him.

鈥淚 consistently work with my coworkers to figure out which tasks I can work on so I鈥檓 not idle. It鈥檚 helped me gain basic work experience and allows me to prepare for the future to help clients in the best ways possible,鈥� Yost said.

Yost found this internship through a family member who encouraged him to apply. He received help from the 糖心传媒 Career Services staff that helped prepare him for the application process. He also spoke to classmates who enjoyed their internships at the same company.

In the classroom, accounting professors Carmen Van O鈥橪inda and Dave Carpenter provided the foundation Yost needed to succeed in the field. 鈥淭he things I learn in class and the assignments I do have all helped me work towards this internship and prepared me for the workload,鈥� Yost said.

Yost plans on graduating in May 2026 and will work towards his certified public accountant (CPA) designation. He hopes to use his time at CORE CPAs to complete those requirements before taking the CPA exam.

鈥淭his will help propel my career. I find it fun and enjoyable and it allows me to connect not only with other people, but my family as well,鈥� Yost said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait for my first client because I love helping people, and this is a way I can do that.鈥�

By Rachel Ritzmann a business administration and marketing major from Broomfield, Colorado

Kimbrough said she always had a niche for numbers and the organization that came with accounting, which she recognized when she took her first accounting class as a junior in high school.

“I found it satisfying to see the numbers align on the balance sheets. The more I practiced, the more I realized I was good at it and that I could even major in this,” she said.

For Kimbrough, who is from Geneva, Nebraska, numbers would be just the tip of the iceberg in her accounting experience as she discovered her internship. Since September, she’s interned at Ellerbrock Norris, an insurance firm that specializes in various aspects of insurance, but primarily focuses on building trusting partnerships within the community and ensuring people feel secure about their financial standings.

Ellerbrock Norris holds a strong reputation within the community for business partnerships, but inside the office, the relationships and community are just as strong 鈥� if not stronger.

鈥淲orking for Ellerbrock Norris, I feel seen and appreciated for the work I am doing. To some, accounting doesn’t sound like the dream job, but since working here, I get to surround myself with my coworkers and mentors who help me become a better accountant. It鈥檚 a great feeling being seen and it feels even better knowing I never feel afraid to ask for help,鈥� Kimbrough said.

Lively work happy hours, competitive game nights, fun cubicle chats with surrounding coworkers, celebrating birthdays and vibrant team lunches, Kimbrough said she enjoys coming to the office every day.

On a typical day, Kimbrough works on commission statements, which are her favorite, as well as reconciliations and other tasks. Much of the experience she gained from her mentors at Ellerbrock Norris connects closely to her accounting studies at 糖心传媒.

Kimbrough said she enjoys classes with accounting professor Carmen Van O鈥橪inda, as she explains thoroughly the factors of accounting, while professor Dave Carpenter shows students how to take accounting concepts and apply them to the industry.

鈥淭heir in-depth explanation of accounting concepts has given me an even better understanding of how accounting works when I’m helping people with their statements. I’m taking these real-world scenarios I learn in class and applying them to help people within my community, both in and outside of the Ellerbrock Norris office,鈥� she said.

For her senior year, Kimbrough said she plans on staying with Ellerbrock Norris as an intern, and hopes to be offered a full-time job after graduation.

By Cecilia Velarde, a senior marketing and communication studies double major from Loveland, Colorado

The Dudley-Doerr Society is a network of alumni who support the 糖心传媒 Department of Business and Economics with their time and resources, while also honoring legendary business professors Dr. Phil Dudley and Roger Doerr.

Senior Madison Jagels, marketing and digital design major, is completing her internship this spring at The Lark, a music and event space in downtown Hastings, Nebraska. Senior Jordanna McCauley, an accounting, communication studies and marketing triple major, interned at Vaughan鈥檚 Printing in Hastings last fall.

Jagels, who is a member of the 糖心传媒 cheerleading team, works mostly remotely as an administrative marketing intern. 鈥淭his experience at The Lark is significant to me because I want to have a wide range of experience heading into the work field after college,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to be able to say I’ve worked for different sized companies and I have worked on a wide variety of projects. I will feel more confident in my abilities to lead myself, and perform well in any role.鈥�

McCauley completed similar tasks supporting marketing, accounting, website and social media efforts in relation to small business and entrepreneurship management in her time at Vaughan鈥檚 Printing.

鈥淚 knew I was super fortunate to have the Dudley-Doer grant as an option. Without it, my internship would have gone unpaid,鈥� McCauley said. 鈥淎s a full time student who already was working two jobs to pay the bills, it was a relief to receive the grant and not have to worry about the financial burden.鈥�

McCauley said that she was thankful for the opportunity. 鈥淣o amount of work should go unpaid, no students should have to worry so much about finances. I appreciate the work the grant does because it can really change lives,鈥� she said.

By Kiant茅 Stuart, a junior from Nassau, The Bahamas, majoring in communications studies, business administration and marketing.聽

鈥淲hat really gets me excited is creating a container for experts and specialists to do what they love. I just love working with super smart, talented people and creating the ability for them to run as fast as they can toward their dreams,鈥� Mertens, who lives in Kearney, Nebraska, said. 鈥淚 want to give them the freedom to fulfill their passions and what they were put on this Earth to do.鈥�

While Mertens graduated with a degree in accounting, today he is involved in every aspect of business. Mertens has supported the start-up of three businesses, his first being Brandon Built, an ETSY shop for rustic furniture. Since then Mertens has also helped start up Flux Footwear, a minimalist shoe brand, and Max and Millie, a baby sock company that produces socks guaranteed not to slip off baby鈥檚 feet.

What these diverse businesses have in common is the purpose behind creating them: to fix a problem. Mertens said he thrives when he is able to identify an issue and then apply it to a business related solution.

鈥淎s you can see from the enterprises that I鈥檝e started, I love developing products that are useful, that are attractive, and help solve a problem in people鈥檚 lives. Products that really allow life to be a little easier for others,鈥� Mertens said

This strength shows up in all of his businesses, in fact Brandon Built was originally created as a way to give back to the people of the Kearney Community.

鈥淲e were really trying to figure out ways just to bless people in the Kearney community. So the idea was, we would sell furniture and then all the proceeds would go to bless single moms, pay off unpaid lunch balances in schools, fix people鈥檚 fences, things like that,鈥� Mertens said.

Brandon Built continued to grow to the point where it became necessary for Mertens and his partners to transition Brandon Built to a full-time job. Brandon Built continues to give back to the community today through its Build a Better Tomorrow Tool Belt, which includes the scholarship program for kids to participate in after school extracurriculars, the Fill The Need Program to support random acts of service and the Little Builder Program that actually gets kids involved with the building of furniture.

Whether it鈥檚 helping others reach their dreams or finding ways to give back to his community, Mertens said he believes that having a selfless mindset in all his endeavors is what leads to success.

鈥淚 believe if you go from a heart of trying to do good for others, that鈥檚 what really sets a sustainable launchpad. The goal shouldn鈥檛 be trying to make as much money as we can, it should be to improve someone else鈥檚 life, and the authenticity of that can really go a long way,鈥� Mertens said.

By Landry Hinkson, a first-year student from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, majoring in communication studies.

CPI is a farmer-owned cooperative with more than 400 employees and operations in 30 communities. It offers a wide range of products and services in agronomy, energy, feed and grain divisions.

Wiegert focuses much of her time using the company鈥檚 inventory tracking system to invoice every product at the customer鈥檚 price. She keeps track of each amount separately because it could be different based on the salesperson who originally sold the product to the customer.

Her biggest summer project was wrapping up invoices for the fiscal year that ended on July 1鈥� she was in charge of making sure everything was correct and up-to-date.

As a part of her internship, Wiegert said she had the honor to tour the new dry fertilizer facility in Hastings. CPI鈥檚 previous dry fertilizer plant, which was only a couple months old at the time, burned down in May 2019 after being struck by lightning.

After the fire, CPI had quickly taken the initiative to start building a new one and completed the new plant in just over a year. The new plant is one of the largest in the nation, with more than 42,000 tons of storage space.

鈥淚t was inspirational to see what they did in a year and how amazing the new facility is. It will be perfect for the business,鈥� she said.

In the fall semester of her junior year, Wiegert reached out to Kim Graviette, 糖心传媒鈥檚 director of vocation and career services, who helped her connect with CPI. She was interviewed for the job in October 2019 and began her internship in April 2020.

A lot of the coursework Wiegert completed during her time at 糖心传媒 career applied to her internship.

Besides coursework, she also participated in professional development days the College鈥檚 Department of Business and Economics holds.

鈥淚 took in everything I鈥檝e learned from professional development days and alumni panels at 糖心传媒 and relayed it to my experience to prepare myself for my internship,鈥� she said.

On-campus, Wiegert volunteers her time with Local-Global, a 糖心传媒 group that focuses on solving hunger and homelessness. She said she enjoys seeing both the Hastings and campus community coming together to care about such a big issue.

By Courtney Hanson, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota, majoring in communication studies and philosophy and religion

The 10-week summer concert series delivers three weekly music acts of different genres that are free to the public.

The communication studies and accounting double major from Trenton, Nebraska, has created a vast social network in her short time with HEAR Grand Island. She鈥檚 met the chairman of downtown Grand Island and looks forward to the opportunities such relationships can lead her to in the future.

鈥淏eing on a first-name basis with someone on the board of downtown Grand Island can help me get connected with new things in the future,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he networking experiences have been my favorite part by far.鈥�

Her role as a social intern includes setting up the concert, talking to the band and writing a feature article that is posted on social media, selling merchandise and enjoying the concert before cleaning up for the night.

McCauley said her interpersonal communication class with Dr. Kittie Grace, professor of communication studies, helped her prepare for the professional interview setting, what questions to ask and how to network with new people.

HEAR Grand Island has opened her eyes to the different careers she could pursue. As a double major in accounting and communications studies, she sees both majors at play at times.

鈥淚 get to use things I鈥檝e learned from my communication classes and also work alongside many businesses, which is what I鈥檒l do in accounting,鈥� she said.

One of her favorite things about 糖心传媒 is how available all faculty and staff have been for her. One day she showed up to the dean of student engagement鈥檚 office announced, and they have had many discussions since. She said Dr. Lisa Smith was a big help in her adjustment to college life.

鈥淓veryone on campus makes themselves available to help you, which helped me feel welcome,鈥� she said.

By Courtney Hanson, a junior from Brookings, South Dakota, majoring in communication studies and philosophy and religion.

The junior marketing and business double major works remotely as the digital production assistant for iProv in Little Rock, Arkansas. The position requires McCarthy to manage social media accounts for iProv鈥檚 35 professional clients. 聽

鈥淢y main responsibility is posting to each client鈥檚 social media accounts and creating monthly search engine optimized blog articles for clients. I also get thrown random projects here and there,鈥� McCarthy said. 鈥淚 do everything on my laptop from here in Hastings, and I Skype with the company once a week to check in.鈥�

McCarthy鈥檚 part-time job bloomed out of her summer internship with the company in 2017. During her three months as iProv鈥檚 web intern, she helped develop their social media strategy.

鈥淏efore I came, social media was kind of thrown onto different positions, and there wasn鈥檛 much structure to their posting system,鈥� McCarthy said. 鈥淭hey wanted an intern to formalize their social media system, and it was the perfect job for a 20-year-old like me, who is on social media all the time. As I picked up more and more responsibility with the social media accounts, it took a lot of weight off the other employees and streamlined the system.鈥�

As McCarthy鈥檚 internship neared its end, her bosses at iProv considered how they could maintain the company鈥檚 commitment to its clients鈥� social media accounts without bogging down other employees by redistributing her full-time responsibilities. The most natural decision was to promote McCarthy from intern to employee. 聽

鈥淭hroughout the summer we had talked about what was going to happen after I left. At the end of my internship, they asked me to continue working for them part-time. It just kind of worked out that I could keep doing all the social media for them,鈥� she said.

Unexpected opportunity

McCarthy nearly missed her chance to work with iProv, as she had initially accepted a marketing internship with a different company in Little Rock. Her journey to iProv began just two weeks before the start date of her original internship, when the company was bought out and her internship was canceled. 聽

鈥淚 was frantic because there was two weeks before summer started, and I didn鈥檛 know what I was going to do,鈥� McCarthy said. 鈥淚 decided to go to Arkansas anyway, just to spend a few weeks with my sister who lives there. We had packed up the car and were ready to go 鈥� and then I got a call.鈥�

Roxane Martino of iProv was on the the other end of the phone. She offered McCarthy the chance to interview for an internship with her company. 聽

Martino had learned about McCarthy through a series of recommendations. Although she hadn鈥檛 personally met McCarthy, Martino was intrigued by extensive professional network that brought this Hastings, Nebraska, native to her attention.

鈥淢y sister and all of her friends were so excited for me to stay in Arkansas for the summer that they had started reaching out to all of their contacts to help me find an internship,鈥� McCarthy said. 鈥淪ome of their connections were distant 鈥� people they had maybe talked to once or knew on Facebook 鈥� but everyone was vouching for me. They wanted to help me get hired.鈥�

McCarthy backed up the recommendations by detailing her previous experience in digital marketing. Most notably, she shared her experience helping launch the 糖心传媒 Snapchat during an internship with the 糖心传媒 Admissions Office the previous summer.

The cards fell in McCarthy鈥檚 favor, and Martino hired her for the internship with iProv.

鈥淚 think the Snapchat launch really helped my case,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t the end of the call, Roxane asked when I could start. That same day, I was in Arkansas and had moved all my stuff. I was there, and I was doing it.鈥�

McCarthy鈥檚 last-minute internship with iProv 鈥渢urned into something huge鈥� in more ways than one. She discovered a field of work she loves, learned how to use her college education in the real world and embarked on the first steps of her professional career path.

For her, though, the true excitement came with the noticeable growth she experienced over the summer.

鈥淲hen my mom came to pick me up at the end of the summer, she almost didn’t recognize me; she said I looked like a different person who was more mature and confident than before. My professors say they see it, too,鈥� McCarthy said. 鈥� It feels like a light came one, and I finally know what I want to do for a living.鈥�

By Mallory Gruben, a senior from Eckley, Colorado, majoring in journalism

Talent Pool, started in 2013 for business majors and minors, pairs a student with a mentor from a local business or organization. The exclusive opportunity sets up students with an internship that fits their career interests while also giving them an outlet to showcase their academic gifts. Talent Pool is directed by Roxann Holliday, assistant professor of marketing.

鈥淭he purpose of Talent Pool is to provide students with not only an internship, but also a mentor from the Hastings business community that they can reach out to and learn from,鈥� Holliday said. 鈥淲e have a pool of exceptional local employers and a pool of exceptional HC business students, and we put them together for an internship.鈥�

To be selected for Talent Pool, students need to have completed at least nine credits in the business and economics department, be enrolled as a full-time student and have a good GPA. Students in Talent Pool spend the first semester working on resumes, soft skills, cover letters and networking. Students are then placed in an internship for either the spring semester or over the summer.

For the 2017-18 academic year, seven students were involved in Talent Pool. Businesses and organizations participating are Hastings Economic Development Corporation (HEDC), Lochland Country Club, Adams County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Steeple Brewery/Idea Bank Marketing, Eaton of Hastings, Midwest Farm Management and Pacha Soap. In the past, students have also been mentored by Mary Lanning Healthcare and Industrial Irrigation Services.

Talent Pool alumni give back

糖心传媒 has had great success with Talent Pool. One of the most notable achievements was placing three graduates in full-time positions created for them after their Talent Pool internships with those companies. Talent Pool mentors have also been instrumental in helping interns land jobs and graduate school placements by serving as references and writing recommendation letters.

Maggie Vaughan 鈥�16 and Kayla Nelson 鈥�16 are 糖心传媒 alumni who are now employer mentors, encouraging the next generation of business students. Vaughan was also a Talent Pool alum and she has the opportunity to give back to the program that helped her find so much success.

By Ryan Smolko, a senior history major from Phoenix, Arizona

糖心传媒 has partnered with Omaha-based ScoreVision to install a new state-of-the-art scoreboard in Lynn Farrell Arena鈥攁nd pilot a new internship program. This summer, four 糖心传媒 students are exploring uncharted territory in scoreboard technology while applying their individual skills and interests.

Students Tyler Murphy, John Funkey, Landon Rodabaugh and Ben Scheef work closely with the leadership team at ScoreVision, a software company founded by Chad Bokowski, Gordon Whitten and David Sutter that creates a professional jumbotron-like scoreboard experience unlike any other. Whitten is a 1993 graduate of 糖心传媒, and Sutter is a 1991 graduate.

Each student is working with a different facet of the company directed toward their area of interest鈥攂roadcasting, marketing, computer science and accounting. Yet they also work across the company to learn the tools and details about the 糖心传媒 board, while helping with other projects for ScoreVision.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not really a traditional internship. They get to learn something specific to career goals, but on another level. They learn about how the (ScoreVision) system works and how to maximize and leverage it, then teach others how to use it on campus,鈥� said David Sutter, chief creative officer for ScoreVision.

The startup company is currently a small group, comprised of about 30 employees, 聽including ten interns. But as Sutter says, they 鈥渨ork in an intimate, collaborative environment.鈥�

Contributing their individual strengths

The capability that the interns have already shown goes beyond Sutter鈥檚 initial expectations, and the 糖心传媒 interns are doing critical work in their respective areas of expertise.

Murphy, from Simi Valley, California, has been using his broadcasting background to produce videos that will be played on ScoreVision screens during games or other events.

鈥淚 have been doing more in-depth video work beyond what I have done with news packages in the past,鈥� Murphy said.

Funkey, a marketing student from Hastings, Nebraska, has been involved managing the company鈥檚 social media and writing copy, which requires him to come up with creative ideas and concepts with a fresh perspective.

鈥淢y main goal is to develop my writing skills to a higher level and build a foundation of skills while creating a marketing plan,鈥� Funkey said.

Rodabaugh鈥檚 two biggest interests are sports and computers, and this internship brings the two together. ScoreVision is run by a score keeper iOS app, and Rodabaugh, from Casper, Wyoming, has been coding the product and designing what viewers see.

鈥淲hen I come into problems, the leadership team is really involved. Corey Spitzer, lead software engineer, takes the time walking me through it instead of just telling me what to do. He鈥檚 helping me learn why it works,鈥� Rodabaugh said.

Rodabaugh hopes to expand his knowledge and grow as a programmer, learn the languages and styles used here as well as all the different aspects of the program.

Scheef, from Wahoo, Nebraska, is performing data entry and research, which is critical work for the ScoreVision sales team. He meets with Whitten, ScoreVision鈥檚 CEO, periodically about business development, data and how to leverage the system.

A new era of technology

Though the internships will last throughout the summer, one part of the 糖心传媒 students鈥� work with ScoreVision comes to life in early July with the installation of new scoreboards on campus.

A 33-by-10 foot board, which is three times the standard size ScoreVision installs in high schools, will replace the current scoreboard in Lynn Farrell Arena. A smaller board is going in Kiewit Gymnasium. Both Hastings boards are underwritten by advertisers and donors.

The arena and gymnasium seemed like the perfect places to install ScoreVision boards since two of the company鈥檚 three founders are graduates of the college and have ties to Hastings. At the same time, 糖心传媒 was looking to replace its aging scoreboards. Sutter said the timing was perfect.

鈥淲e knew from the very beginning that we wanted our alma mater to have it; better yet, it has a prize factor as the first college to have one, as well as the largest indoor board we鈥檝e installed,鈥� Sutter said.

Though professionals will install the boards, interns will assist and learn how to maintain it and understand how the hardware is wired. On the software side, they will get into the guts of the system and learn the controls to operate the custom-made layouts for 糖心传媒.

Hastings to thrive with ScoreVision

Sutter hopes that this added touch to 糖心传媒 will reach more than just athletics. 鈥淪tudents can get involved with business, broadcasting and art; it鈥檚 not just for athletes, but for everyone. Students can manage and create each production for school and community events,鈥� he said.

According to Sutter, students will take what they have learned and have a planned approach to how they will teach others on campus. 鈥淭hey will be champions of ScoreVision for 糖心传媒,鈥� Sutter said.

Sutter said he hopes the visual impact will resonate with both the current community and future of the college.
鈥淭he aesthetic view has a 鈥榳ow factor鈥� that can contribute to the image of 糖心传媒, looking toward the future,鈥� Murphy said.

By Jacilyn Bruns, a senior from Grand Island, Nebraska, majoring in Journalism