佩奇还ts '23:在好时公园学习团队合作，沟通和领导能力

Elmira College students complete community engagement hours and a career-related internship 为了帮助他们建立职业网络，并给他们重要的实践经验.

佩奇还ts ’23 (生物学) spent the summer of 2022 at Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, completing the 12-week Hershey Park 领导 Development Program. 她被这个项目所吸引，因为她知道这会让她走出自己的舒适区.

“我不知道还有谁会去，我也从来没去过好时公园, only Chocolate World,” she explained. “But the focus of this internship was 领导, and I was excited to improve my skills in this area.”

As part of the program, Hershey held 12 workshops focused on career skills like etiquette, 网络, 领导, 热情好客, and major-specific topics. The workshops were led by subject matter experts, including some Hershey executives and local business leaders. 实习生们被分成三组，这样他们就可以互相提问和热烈讨论.

斯蒂尔斯说:“其中一个研讨会涉及多样性、公平和包容性. “对我来说，一个重要的收获是，我们有时需要退后一步，思考一下我们在和谁合作. 重要的是要认识到我们都来自不同的背景，这影响了我们如何一起工作. 当你感到沮丧时，退一步思考是很重要的, and then work on what may be driving the misunderstanding.”

礼仪研讨会为实习生们提供了如何成功举办商务餐的指导，并帮助他们为最后的研讨会做准备, which was a special luncheon. At the luncheon, 这些实习生按专业分组，与商界领袖坐在一起，扮演与他们未来职业相关的角色. 高跷和其他几名生物学专业的学生与健康行业的人士和一名好时(Hershey)员工坐在一起, 他们在哪里有机会建立人际关系，展示他们新学的谈话技巧.

当高跷不在车间时，她的大部分时间都在公园里工作. 好时实习计划的学生可以选择他们想要工作的领域, 所以Stilts选择了餐饮服务，因为这是她以前没有做过的工作.

Stilts most often worked at a stand called Rita’s, 但在其他地方需要她的地方，她就在其他餐馆和小摊之间转来转去. Because she was a college senior and with her professional demeanor, Stilts经常被信任独自经营摊位，或者在经理不得不离开时帮助管理餐馆.

Although the work and heat were grueling, Stilts' employment came with a few perks, including unlimited access to the park rides. 在公园工作一定天数也可以获得门票, so Stilts was able to invite her family to visit the park for free. Employees like Silts could also enjoy after-hours parties.

Stilts说，在公园里工作对工作坊很有好处，因为她可以直接应用在课堂上学到的东西, 无论是和其他来自世界各地的实习生混在一起，还是和公园的全职员工和高中生一起挣暑假的钱. 高跷与一位来自路易斯安那州的实习生以及一些国际实习生关系密切.

与这群有着不同动机和经历的人一起工作，让她在领导和团队合作方面上了重要的一课，Stilts计划将这些课带入未来的科学职业生涯.

“很明显，一两个人会影响团队的活力. My teammates and I learned a lot about how to motivate others, how to best communicate, and how to support each other,”她说。. “令我印象深刻的是，年龄与领导能力几乎没有关系，更重要的是一个人能带来什么, like a willingness to learn and work, and the ability to communicate with others.”

And Stilts took the experience to heart, in theory and in practice. 在项目的第二天到最后一天，她被授予了杰出员工奖.

“I was very honored to receive this distinction,”她说。.

高跷和她的同事们面临的挑战之一是管理公园发生的一项重大变化的影响——公园将不再使用现金. This often wasn’t an issue, 但有时父母会只带着现金把孩子送过去一天.

“It was hard explaining the change to an 8-year-old,”她说。. “但是，能够给孩子们一个冰淇淋甜筒，看到他们脸上的笑容，这也真的很有意义。. It made it worth it.”