(Editor’s note: Janae Levier, human resources assistant for Tepa LLC, is the guest author for this post.)
Hi, everyone! My name is Janae Levier, member of the Citizen Band Potawatomi Tribe of Oklahoma and recent Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU), School of Business graduate.
In the summer of 2015 between my junior and senior years at Haskell, I became Tepa’s first Kansas City intern. Tepa LLC, is a shared services organization owned by the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians that provides common leadership, administration and management for eight independent companies.
As an intern, I was exposed to all aspects of the eight companies (different departments, marketing efforts and clients). I went to conferences, sat in on all levels of meetings, attended site visits with my colleagues and developed mentoring relationships that I still maintain today.
What I learned most from the internship is to start networking as soon as you can, don’t be afraid to share your ideas and opinions, and be open with your supervisors about your goals — they want to help you!
After my internship concluded, Tepa offered me a part-time position throughout my senior year, which I gladly accepted. During that time with Tepa, I supported the human resources, marketing and accounting departments.
One of my main focuses before graduating was coordinating the next internship program. The unique approach we took in the summer of 2016 was partnering with Travois for the Native American Internship Program. We hired two interns (pictured below), Gabby (alumna of the University of Kansas) and Tsianina (HINU alumna), and they spent five weeks with Travois and five weeks with Tepa.
After a successful 2016 summer, we decided to continue the dual internship program and partnership with Haskell for this coming summer. We are seeking intern applicants now! Find application materials on the Travois website: https://travois.com/our-story/join-our-team/
I’m more than excited for another summer internship that will build both Travois’ and Tepa’s relationships with Haskell’s student body. This is a great opportunity for real-world experience, networking and career foundation. I strongly encourage all Haskell students to apply. Onward Haskell!