Student Intern Spotlight: Jessica Finley

In the CDE, there are many different personalities and working styles between the interns. Some people are so confident in themselves that their personalities show anytime they speak. One of those people is Jessica Finley. A marketing major from EMU that switched from entrepreneurship. I recently got a chance to talk to Jessica about her CDE experience and experience with her company Teckstak. 

The first topic we discussed was her schedule. Jessica works remotely for the most part and meets up with Techstak members once a week for 2 hours. She’s expressed how blessed she was to be able to work from anywhere. Mainly because her brother and sister live in Saginaw so it gives her time to keep a strong relationship with them and work at the same time!

Jessica was actually a student of Bud Gibson before the CDE Clinic so she was already aware of the program itself. “Bud told me that it would be beneficial if I joined and he was right.” Having Bud as an instructor prior to the Clinic helped Jessica out because the procedures in the Clinic are some of the same procedures in Bud’s class. Jessica tells me that it’s a “confidence booster” and that she was able to be herself when she got more comfortable speaking to an entire room of people. 

We also talked about her role at Techstak. Techstak pretty much matches companies with tech companies that can help with their work. One challenging part about being a marketer in a tech company is becoming comfortable with what is going on. “I’m a marketer in a room with a web designer and the CEO. Marketers need to learn web design lingo.” Jessica is the person that has to constantly think about how the customer can gravitate towards their services. 

Techstak is helping Jessica because she has big plans for the future. She’s an “entrepreneur at heart.” Jessica wants to start a blogging business and tells me that the things that she’s learning while interning are helping her with ideas for her business. Jessica then said something that I haven’t stopped thinking about since she told me: “Wherever you work, you should do it for free.” This is how the CDE Clinic helps future professionals. It helps them build their confidence, teaches new skills, and inspires them to carve their own path in their careers.