After a two-year hiatus, Launch Fishers brought back their Launch Fishers High School Fellowship this summer with the purpose to develop future entrepreneurs and business leaders. The internship is available for Hamilton Southeastern High School and Fishers High School students who want to learn more about entrepreneurship and gain real-world experience through Launch Fishers’ three-day bootcamp, where students sharpen their professional skills, and the 8-week internship with the student’s host company.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve highlighted some of the students and host companies who participated in the program in Summer 2022. Check back at our other Community Innovator posts to learn about other companies and students who participated in the summer program!
Host company: Base Camp Country
Supervisor: Sean Ferbrache, Chief Operating Officer
Tell us about Base Camp Country:
We operate a suite of three companies that provide outdoors enthusiasts access to private property. From brokering hunting lease arrangements, to providing the tools and resources needed to arrange a hunting lease on your own, and finally to purchasing (or selling your property.)
What inspired you to get involved with the program?
Our owner, Steve Meng, is involved in the Fishers community. We had an intern previously and enjoyed the experience.
Tell us about the projects that the fellow worked on with your company. How did they impact your business?
Tori Donato was our intern and the relationship was tremendous. We feel like we have made a contact and friend that will benefit from her time here as much as we did. Tori was shown our marketing strategies and asked to create spreadsheets initially. We use these spreadsheets to drive decisions around spend, location, and can evaluate the success of those campaigns. Near the end of her internship, Tori edited videos that are now appearing on our TikTok account and will be on YouTube soon. She was perfectly suited to really excel here and it shows with the work she completed.
What’s one piece of advice you would give students looking to pursue a career in your field?
Although we are sometimes mistaken for a more relaxed industry, the advice we would offer is to get your degree and buckle down to excel in your chosen field. Once you learn the importance of creating a brand to meet the needs of a target group, you can apply those lessons to nearly any industry. Don’t be fooled by the perception of a particular industry. At the end of the day, it’s about marketing, metrics, KPIs, and of course surrounding yourself with a team that shares your vision.
Why is this program important for the community?
I have recently seen much written on the next generation and their perceived desire to never work for a company but work for themselves. Although that is a tremendous aspiration, it is important for young adults just leaving high school to get a real flavor of what it is like to work within a structure that is all firing to reach the same goal. Additionally, we have so much to offer young adults here, that it would be a shame for them to leave looking for opportunities that were available here all along. Great program and top-notch talent!
Fellow: Tori Donato
What inspired you to join the Launch Fishers Fellowship Program?
I hadn’t heard about the fellowship program until David came and talked to some kids at school about it. I was initially interested because I felt it was a good opportunity for networking and getting the chance to gain intensive experience in the real world. Being that I was a senior heading off to college in the fall, I felt this was a great way to begin the school year to feel prepared.
What was your favorite part of the summer fellowship?
I enjoyed the internship from the first day all the way until my last day. The best part of interning for Base Camp Country was definitely the people. Everyone was very welcoming and willing to work with me in gaining real-world knowledge and experience in various aspects of business. Some projects this summer included testing out scopes, launching my own email campaign, editing content for TikTok videos, analyzing data through pivot charts, researching timber companies through Xmaps, and so much more.
How do you think the fellowship program will launch your future career?
The internship program opened my eyes to the numerous amounts of resources provided by Fishers. Being a part of the 3-day boot camp and internship really tests your abilities and makes you think and work hard. This was a great opportunity that opened the door for potential future endeavors with peers and networking channels. Simple tools such as interviewing skills, a strong resume, a channel for networking, and real-world experience gained within the internship this summer have prepared me for the next steps in my career.
What’s one piece of advice you would give future Launch Fishers fellows?
One piece of advice I would give to future Launch Fishers fellows would be to examine your skillset before the program and after the program, at the end of the summer. You won’t believe how much you grow within your mindset and attitude. However, in order to grow, you really have to engage and give yourself the opportunity to fully experience the program. It is also important to remember that you shouldn’t compare your growth to someone else’s because everyone has different skillsets and experiences. And of course, remember to have fun!
What are your plans after graduation?
I am attending Indiana University this fall to study Marketing and Management at the Kelley School of Business.
To learn more about the Launch Fishers High School Fellowship program, visit the Launch Fishers website for more information.
Grace Gerig has lived in Fishers her entire life and graduated from Hamilton Southeastern High School in 2020. At Purdue University, Grace is studying Public Relations and Strategic Communication, minoring in Political Science and Human Resource Management, and pursuing a Collaborative Leadership Certificate. Grace is involved with Boiler Communication, a student-run Public Relations agency, and serves as an Account Executive on their leadership team. Grace was a 2-year member of the nationally recognized Purdue Dance Team and enjoys teaching dance and choreographing routines. She is also involved with her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, and manages her chapter’s Instagram. On weekends, Grace likes to work out in the morning at the F45 Fishers/Geist location, grab a Dunkin iced coffee, and sit with her family on their back porch. Follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn.