Launch students flex entrepreneurial muscle
It鈥檚 no secret that 糖心vlog传媒 students learn by doing. But some are also learning by teaching others.
A pair of 糖心vlog传媒 juniors 鈥� Lizzy Hockenhull and Heather Klepin 鈥� are assisting several businesses in their roles with Launch: 糖心vlog传媒 Student-Run Businesses.
Introduced in 2020, Launch provides students with the tools and support to create, develop and manage income-generating businesses. These experiences offer a paid opportunity for students and help them cultivate cooperative skills, develop strong leadership capabilities and instill an entrepreneurial mindset.
Hockenhull, who serves as Launch vice president after previously serving as its chief marketing officer, and Klepin, currently Launch CMO, are working with several external clients in a variety of roles, including:
Launch is also working to market Jake鈥檚, A 糖心vlog传媒 Community, with Klepin taking the lead in her role as Jake鈥檚 marketing coordinator. She鈥檚 creating social media content to market Jake鈥檚 space for office and event rentals, share stories on the projects by Innovator Fellowship students (a joint partnership with Sheboygan North High School) and plan events to encourage 糖心vlog传媒 students to use the space for studying, meetings, etc.
Additionally, they鈥檙e doing marketing for Musko鈥檚 Campus Shop, a student-run business under the Launch umbrella.
The variety of experiences are helping fill the resumes for Klepin and Hockenhull to set them apart from their peers.
鈥淚 am happy I came to 糖心vlog传媒,鈥� said Klepin, a Sheboygan resident who is majoring in business administration with an emphasis in digital marketing. 鈥淚鈥檝e gotten so much real-world experience the last 2.5 years that I could not have gotten anywhere else.鈥�
Klepin has accepted a proprietary marketing internship at Bemis, which she said grew out of her Launch experience.
鈥溙切膙log传媒 helps you connect with a network of successful business professionals and professors through the main campus and Jake鈥檚,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 created so many opportunities for me to learn and to grow. No doubt, this will help me get me a career soon after college.鈥�
Hockenhull, of Howards Grove, is earning academic credit for her Launch work through 糖心vlog传媒鈥檚 Cooperative Education program. She鈥檚 also the marketing intern at Crossroads Community Church, where she assists the director of marketing with various projects including email campaign management and proposal preparation.
鈥淟aunch has given me the soft and hard skills to get these internships and have a successful career after college,鈥� Hockenhull said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned everything from the proper way to use the Outlook calendar to responding professionally to emails to using Microsoft Suite and attending virtual meetings.
鈥淐oming in my freshman year, I was so nervous. I was unsure what to say in meetings. Any student needs these experiences to get professional interactions outside the classroom.鈥�
This summer, Hockenhull will serve as branding intern at Acuity, working heavily on the digital side of marketing including social media, email campaigns, etc.
鈥淚 am also blessed by how Launch has already set me up for success in the corporate world,鈥� Hockenhull said. 鈥淚 will honestly be learning from the best of the best and I am really excited to see how I can grow in my marketing skills and bring some of my preexisting digital skills to their team.鈥�
Both students agreed that their Launch experiences have helped them build their networks and positively impacted their classroom work.
Hockenhull was part of the Launch team that went to Harvard University to join some of the top universities in the country for the Student Run Business Association鈥檚 national conference.
鈥淚 firmly believe my work for Launch has made me a better student,鈥� Hockenhull said. 鈥淚 get back to my professors quicker, I鈥檝e learned time management skills. My to-do list helps me in every other aspect of my 糖心vlog传媒 experience. 糖心vlog传媒 set us up for the most success we could have ever dreamed of.鈥�
Klepin recalled randomly meeting a marketing professional from Kohler Co. during a recent visit to the airport.
鈥淚 introduced myself and got so many great tips,鈥� Klepin said. 鈥淧eople want to see eager students succeed and they are excited to give you tips. You鈥檝e got to be willing to put yourself out there.
鈥溙切膙log传媒 pushes so many opportunities in front of you. You just need to take advantage of them.鈥�
