Boss of the Week: Kelsey Johnson, Purdue University Class of 2016

What does it take to be a research intern? We found out by talking to Kelsey Johnson, a senior at Purdue and our Boss of the Week. Kelsey recently got a research internship at Foursquare and she’s super excited about the experience! Here’s what she had to say:

“For this internship, I get to recruit some of my friends to use an app called Swarm for two weeks. We’ve been having a blast connecting on a different social media platform and fighting over who gets to be Mayor of different places we frequent. I’ve gotten to use my interpersonal communication skills to convince my friends to download and use the app, and my prior knowledge of social media to post effectively. The people at Foursquare have also been super friendly and helpful throughout this process! Foursquare is really laid back and approachable, no matter what the circumstance.”

And while Kelsey is having a blast at her new job, she’s also able to fit the internship into the meaningful college experience she’s created for herself.

“I think that the biggest challenge I faced in college was the pressure I put on myself to succeed. I went from being involved and successful in everything at a 400 person high school to feeling overwhelmed and unsuccessful as one of 40,000 students at my university. My freshman year, I dabbled in a few clubs but didn’t really get involved in anything or feel like I was making a difference. My sophomore year, I decided something had to change. My university had so many opportunities, and it was up to me to find a few that I was really passionate about! I stopped putting so much pressure on myself to be involved and successful in everything for my resume, and to instead find a few causes that I was really passionate about. Because I stopped being my own biggest critic, I have learned to thrive in college, joining clubs I care about, going on a life-changing study abroad, and making some amazing friends along the way. I learned it’s okay to cut yourself some slack and pursue the opportunities that mean the most to you, instead of collecting a bunch of resume builders.”

Ready to find your own awesome internship? Here are some great jobs and internships that you can apply to right now.