March 31, 2022
In turn with Ashley Safranek
Ashley Safranek is a business management junior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She brings to ECU and the College of Business an entrepreneurial spirit. In 2021, she launched her small business, Yinz to Y’all, a company that creates customizable crewnecks, t-shirts, and hoodies that resemble certain parts of life. She’s a current RISE 29 intern, as well.
How did the Cunanan Center for Professional Success help prepare you for your internship search?
Through the Cunanan Center, I constructed a professional and well-written resume and met with important personnel that later led me to the internship position that I hold today.
What are your responsibilities with your internship?
For the duration of my internship, I was presented with a scope of work that provided tasks and topics to complete for the semester. To meet those tasks, I have performed an extended amount of research on the industry that was assigned to me. In addition, I have communicated with my client via weekly meetings and made recommendations to help meet my scope of work.
What was the most challenging thing you experienced during your internship, and how did what you learned in the COB help you overcome it?
Client communication. These are small business owners who are busy 24/7. You have to learn when the best times and forms of communication will fit well with their schedule.
However, throughout my internship and with the help of my COB courses, I learned, researched, and performed professional, communicative skills to relay information to and from the client.
How have you applied what you learned in your classwork to this position?
I have gained an extended amount of knowledge from the courses at ECU; I have learned and achieved more this one semester than I have in my past three years. The courses I have taken have prepared me, while the internship has provided structure, and developed and taught me how to be a business professional.
Why would you recommend a business student take advantage of the Cunanan Center for Professional Success resources?
I would recommend using the Cunanan Center because it helps you academically and socially. I have learned that the business world is centered around networking, e.g., who you know, where you are, and so on. The Cunanan Center opens those networking doors and helps you make the connections that will later play a huge role in your professional career.