After his own internship experience, Geo Donre says he’s excited to tell other students and young professionals about Ignite internship opportunities.
When Geo Donre was searching for a summer internship, he had one non-negotiable: He wanted to do something impactful and contribute to an organization through “real work, not busywork,” as he puts it.
Through a family friend, he connected with the NSCA Education Foundation. While its Ignite Internship Program focuses on helping integrators and manufacturers build strong internship programs, it also helps students find right-fit internship opportunities based on their skills, interests, and career goals.
Donre had never heard of the commercial integration industry before, but what he learned about it through Ignite quickly piqued his interest. “It caught my eye because it’s a growing field, especially today as everything is moving toward technology.”
After hearing about his interest in research and curiosity about how tech-driven businesses operate, the Foundation’s Ignite program found the perfect opportunity for him right in NSCA’s office.
Getting Hands-On with the Guide to State Licensing
Donre was tasked with updating NSCA’s Guide to State Licensing, a resource that maps out licensing requirements across all 50 U.S. states so integrators can quickly understand what’s required before they bid, design, or perform work in a certain state.
To update the information inside, Donre pored through pages of regulatory language, going state by state to verify existing details and reaching out to state agencies and regulatory bodies to gather updated information when needed.
“Before this internship, I didn’t realize the technical complexity behind licensing. There are different types, for example. Definitions are important as well, where one word can change the entire meaning of the requirement,” Donre says. That level of nuance made accuracy essential as he worked through the Guide to State Licensing and prepared the updates for NSCA staff to review.
He also participated in NSCA-wide meetings, providing reports on the progress and explaining where he was running into questions or needed clarification. “I loved being part of a team that’s really passionate about what they do and how they serve the industry.”
As part of the internship experience, Donre also got to learn more about the industry as a whole while he completed the program. He went through industry training on key areas like sales, operations, and marketing. “I loved the training and how it reflected real-world situations,” Donre explains. “I learned so much about pricing labor and materials, finding the balance between charging too much and not charging enough.
Why Other Interns Should Connect with Ignite
After his experience, he says he’s excited to tell other students and young professionals about the opportunities that the Foundation-supported Ignite program has to offer.
“After seeing the confidence and real-world experience it gave me, I think that more students should look for internships through Ignite. It helped me develop technical skills and soft skills and better understand how I can be a contributor to an organization.”
