1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.  

For my STEP Signature Project I had an internship with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. As the communications and marketing intern, I worked on various internal and external assignments such as writing monthly columns, website uploads, creating a monthly internal newsletter, and social media- related projects.  

1. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.  

Working for the Ohio Chamber changed my views about the world in many ways, both professionally and socially. However, the one thing I learned most about myself was how much I enjoyed doing fulfilling work. Because our organization is so heavily involved with politics, I had many opportunities to educate myself and others about the different issues impacting the lives of everyday Ohioans. One of my favorite columns I wrote focused on the importance of childcare accessibility; I found it very fulfilling to write about a topic that was so important to the community and state. This taught me how important it is to always advocate for others, especially when you are in a position to help uplift underrepresented voices.  

1. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.  

There were many aspects of this internship that impacted my development. For one, the events and workshops that I’ve attended and participated in have impacted my growth as an individual and professional tremendously. This year, the Chamber decided we would be putting on more events than we had in previous years. Each of our events touch on themes from The Blueprint for Ohio’s Economic Future, a comprehensive report that focuses on six strategic areas of opportunity to increase Ohio’s competitiveness including Education & Workforce, Sense of Place, Taxes & Costs, Business Friendliness, Innovation & Collaboration, and Infrastructure. Some of these summits included a Women in Business event, State of Business event, and more. These events allowed me to learn about the issues impacting Ohio while engaging with professionals and experts from all over the state. 

Furthermore, the relationships I have built at the Chamber have helped me enhance my understanding of our political climate. Many of my coworkers are at the statehouse every week to help push for different bills and because of this, I’ve gotten to learn so much about advocacy and policies. This has allowed me to have a better understanding on the tremendous opportunity working for the Chamber provides when it comes for advocating for Ohioans and making a difference in our community.  

Finally, I learned how important doing purposeful work is for me. I never imagined I would ever work in politics, but working for the Chamber has opened my eyes to how much I enjoy doing the type of fulfilling work that being involved with politics provides. I find that I am more motivated to do my work when I know it is important, so I have really appreciated having the opportunity to educate myself and others on matters that are impacting everyday people.  

4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.

I have always known I’ve wanted to be an author, and as a creative writer, I know how it is essential to weave different themes and ideas into the message of the story. Working for the Chamber has helped me understand the opportunity that fiction writing provides: the chance to disect real-world problems and share them with readers in a different light. I admire when authors can use their work as a commentary on present day, and after realizing how much I enjoy writing about political matters, this internship has ultimately given me the foundation to implement real-world issues into my work and create stories that will have a stronger impact on my readers.