This article was written by one of our summer interns, McKenna H. She attends the University of Texas at San Antonio and worked in the Marketing department at Reynolds and Reynolds’ headquarters.

In my first few weeks at Reynolds, I got stuck in a revolving door, tripped up the main stairs, misspelled my supervisor’s name, and probably worst of all, hit “reply all” to an email with 20 people in the chain.

These mistakes don’t just scream new hire; they scream something much worse: Intern. Summer Intern. 

I felt like the world was ending after each of these mistakes. How could I show my face to my supervisor after misspelling her name in an email? I remember waiting in my cube for the moment I would be let go. I thought my supervisor and fellow associates were laughing at me in the lunch room, poking fun at me for making such stupid mistakes. Granted, getting stuck in a revolving door at 8 a.m. does warrant some jokes.

But I didn’t get fired. My supervisor smiled as she corrected my spelling mistake. The associate on the email thread reassured me that everyone has accidentally hit “reply all” at least once. Someone even pushed me through the revolving glass door I was pressed against and helped me get into the building. And every associate who helped me ended up sharing a personal story of how they had made a similar mistake before. No one made me feel small for my failures or embarrassing moments. If anything, I was reassured that I wasn’t alone.

Granted, none of my mistakes were catastrophic. But, at the beginning of my internship, I was convinced that I would be sent packing at the slightest slip-up. I had always heard things like “the corporate world is cutthroat” and “mistakes are a sign of incompetence.” And while these statements may hold true in some corporate offices, I can say from experience, Reynolds is different.

My preconceived notions about being an intern at Reynolds were utterly misguided. In fact, I was consistently given grace throughout the summer. My team went out of their way to support me, sitting down with me to review the requirements for a project or proof-reading emails I was nervous about sending. No traps were set to trick me into making a fool of myself. Every project I worked on had an intention and authentic learning opportunity behind it. Everything I touched was looked at and reviewed honestly, like I was any other associate. A lot of my work was even published, like this piece.

As my internship continued, the effort everyone put into the intern program was clear. My team talked to me every day, invited me to eat lunch with them, and even took interest in getting to know who I was. I was constantly reassured that I was a member of the team and that my perspective was valuable. Other associates on my team even gave me the option to work on projects beyond the scope of my initial role, allowing me to explore new opportunities. My supervisor especially showed this dedication, from planning out clear milestones for me to hit during the summer to scheduling additional training for my professional development. She even went the extra mile and had me complete a performance review, the first corporate evaluation I had ever done.

To prep, I was given the same paperwork that a full-time associate would fill out during a mid-year performance review. The paperwork was no joke. I had to evaluate myself independently, list out honest strengths and weaknesses, detail every project I had worked on, and rate my personal attributes. After prepping, I would have an hour-long meeting with my supervisor. The idea alone was enough to make me sweat profusely.

But the meeting ended up being one of the most helpful experiences I had. Our discussion gave me fantastic direction on setting goals for the rest of my internship, while also focusing on all the positives. My supervisor even commented that I was being too harsh and that many of the things I had critiqued about myself had been completely in my head. Not a single comment she made during my evaluation was shocking, and looking back, there was absolutely no reason to panic.

I was actively coached through every portion of this internship. From the smallest project to my evaluation, I felt supported and motivated to be better

Working as an intern at Reynolds has been different from any other job I’ve had. Every associate seems to have the same attitude about wanting to learn and teach others to be better. The people I’ve worked with every day have been specifically trained to help me through my mistakes and teach me about the nuances of corporate life.

And don’t get me wrong, the tangible things I accomplished look great on a resume. The fun I had living in a dorm and making new friends at work was awesome, but more than all of that, I learned who I want to be. My post-college plans are well-defined, and for the first time, I have a clear sense of direction once I graduate. The investment Reynolds has made in my growth and development far surpassed my expectations. I am truly grateful for the valuable lessons, the nurturing environment, and the guidance that has shaped me into a more confident and purposeful individual. Not bad for a clumsy intern.

To learn more about Reynolds and internship opportunities, visit our careers page.