Ethan Lafrance and Jen Lighthall interned with nhEconomy.com this summer.
It’s awfully quiet in the office this week, as it is in many offices across the state.
That’s because the interns have gone back to college.
We miss them.
Here at the Division of Economic Development, we had six of them spread out among our offices – the International Trade Resource Center, NH PTAP and in economic development.
Laura Wolfe
Jennifer Lighthall and Laura Wolfe spent the summer in the middle of the action, literally and figuratively in the heart of DED. Ethan Lafrance, Emily Tyler and Carter White made themselves at home in international trade and Mark Manganiello worked with all things government procurement.
All of them quickly became indispensible to us, diving into projects that weren’t always glamorous. Jen, who studies at Highpoint University and Laura, of Smith College, when not accompanying some of us out into the field on business visits around the state, made their way through everything from media clips to internet research to answering the phones.
Ethan, from the University of Pennsylvania, showed his passion for international business and helped the New Hampshire Aerospace and Defense Export Consortium with several important projects. Emily, home for the summer from Drake University, and Carter, from Hamilton College, were both immersed in market research projects.
Mark Manganiello
Mark, who’s obtaining his Master’s from UNH, spent about six months with NH-PTAP and singlehandedly organized the New Hampshire State and Local Vendor Fair last month, which was a very successful event.
Their projects wrapped up now, each one left behind some very valuable information and research and they all assured us that their experience was interesting and valuable as well.
Now that their computers are dark and their desks quiet … and clean … we miss their enthusiasm and curiosity, for it made us all slow down now and then to teach and explain and remind us that both of those traits are important in the work we do every day.
One other thing we got from the summer intern experience is that one day, these young people will graduate and head out into the world and make their mark on it.
Look out.
Lorna Colquhoun
Communications Director
New Hampshire Division of Economic Development