I first came across the Leading Off-Campus program while walking to the cafeteria at the University of Lynchburg, where I noticed a table set up with flyers. At the time, I was looking for ways to build connections and gain exposure to a professional atmosphere beyond the classroom. Choosing to apply to the program shaped the direction of my career.

That summer, I didn’t intern. Instead, I worked at the university help desk, but I was still able to participate in Leading Off-Campus. Through that experience, I met Christine Kennedy, who months later told me about a job fair at the Business Alliance. She even passed along my resume, which led to an interview and, eventually, my first internship the following summer.

I landed a Marketing Analyst internship where I focused on building dashboards in Power BI, cleaning spreadsheets, conducting independent research, and learning how to incorporate AI as a tool in my workflow. The biggest lesson I took away was patience. At first, I expected everything to click right away, and it was frustrating when it didn’t. Over time, I grew more confident, and the more experience I gained, the more capable I became.

Because of that persistence, I performed well and proved myself to be a coachable, hardworking colleague able to deliver what was asked. My original 8-week internship turned into a 5-month extension, and today I’m still doing similar work, only now with more responsibility and ownership of projects.

Of course, the journey wasn’t without challenges. The hardest part was making a name for myself as a young professional. That’s where the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance made all the difference. Being connected to a supportive network of professionals gave me the sense that I wasn’t going through it alone, that I had people in my corner, and that gave me the confidence to keep pushing for opportunities.

My advice to students is not to limit themselves to just their classes and degree. Network as much as you can and pursue opportunities like certifications or programs like Leading Off-Campus that set you apart. The extra steps I took outside the classroom opened doors that otherwise would have stayed closed.