I graduated from Westwood High School in May of 2021 with a passion for business. I knew that I wanted to continue my career in business, so I continued my education at Northern Michigan University where I just graduated with an associate’s degree in business. My mom, who is a Chamber Board Member, mentioned the job opening to me. Bob was willing to work with my crazy busy schedule and gave me the opportunity to intern at the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce.

Now that I have graduated from NMU it is time for me to find a full-time position. I have accepted the position of a Seasonal Contact Center Representative with UPPCO for this upcoming summer and will be starting within the next few weeks. I will be working with Bob and Ty at the Chamber until I start with UPPCO.

I have really enjoyed working on the West End Weekly Newsletter, it has really given me the opportunity to get creative and know what is going on in our community. I look forward to attending future Business After Hours and meeting new people in the community and businesses.

The Annual Gala was one of my favorite events while at the Chamber. With it being such a huge event, I really got to learn what goes into putting on an event that big. From selecting the date and venue to selecting the menu and everything else in between, it made me realize it really does take a whole village to be able to put on events like the Gala. After all of the planning, seeing the event come to life and watching the joy on everyone’s face really made the time worth it.

Social Media plays a big role when it comes to informing the community about the happenings. It has been a great experience to see what catches people’s attention and what doesn’t. I never realized the importance of it until I sat in front of the computer trying to figure out which hashtags and captions related to the post that I was making at that time to use to gain the attention of the followers.

I would like to thank Bob for giving me this great opportunity and teaching me so much. The Chamber has taught me a ton about the community that I did not know before starting this position. There is a lot of opportunity and adventure in our “small” town so I encourage each and every one of you to get out and discover it. As I start this new chapter of my life, I am thankful for taking on this position, as it has helped me to feel confident about going into the world.

EDITORS NOTE: Angelina Heinzman is an Northern Michigan University student who served as an intern at GINCC during the 2022-2023 school year.