My time spent at Aileron exceeded any expectations I could have ever had walking in the door on my first day. I was excited to take on the role of Business Support Intern, because I saw the potential for experience in many different sectors of the workplace. As a Junior Marketing and Communications student, there are so many paths to take with this background, I was longing to find where my passion truly was. During my time at Aileron I got that clarification. I have a passion for client engagement, working to execute the services we provide for them, and building strong relationships along the way, all things I got hands on experience doing as an intern.  

As I have reflected on my experience at Aileron there are three takeaways, I know that will stay with me for the rest of my career.  

Stay Curious

Always be a lifelong learner. Whether it was on day 1 or day 400, I was encouraged to ask empowering questions that sometimes led to answers and sometimes led to more questions. I learned that if I invest my time in understanding the process instead of going off assumptions and jumping to conclusions, the outcomes are always much more beneficial.  

We > Me

When working on a team it is no longer just about what you can do, but what the collective group can do together: we>me. Aileron is a perfect example of a workplace that embraces this philosophy. Every project I found myself working on had some sort of collaboration aspect and no role was too small when working to find the best possible results.  

Progress Over Perfection

It is okay to make mistakes, especially when there is something to be learned from them. At Aileron I felt like my ideas were always embraced; sometimes they were implemented and sometimes they were not what was needed, but there was always something to be learned. The best outcomes are not usually the first “perfect” scenario dreamed up. Trial and error lead to progress and progress is always a step in the right direction.  

The lessons and experiences I got from my time at Aileron were not only valuable to my professional development but also my personal development. I would like to thank two of my mentors, Michaela Van Arsdale and Rachel Markley, for being incredible role models and embracing me as a vital member of their team. I am so grateful to have been a part of the Aileron organization and will never forget my time and lessons learned there.