Earlier last month, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States summer interns completed the organization’s 10-week internship program. Jon Kunkle, KPMAS Vice President and CFO, was the guest speaker at the interns’ graduation. Kunkle encouraged interns to keep working towards their career aspirations. He shared how he navigated his career path, the importance of networking and other career advice.
Speaking from personal experience, Kunkle spoke about his first job and how his network helped him get hired. “If there is one thing I can stress it would be how valuable connections are. You don’t know when you will cross paths again,” said Kunkle.
Kunkle also discussed social media and the importance of utilizing networking sites like LinkedIn.
“You have LinkedIn. My generation didn’t so be sure to use it, and use it wisely,” said Kunkle.
Kunkle was joined by managers, mentors, and the program’s organizers who also came to congratulate and wish the interns well.
“Our 2016 interns gained valuable work experience. They contributed to the KPMAS communication vehicles, received several offers to extend their internship and one intern, Andrew Mason, accepted a permanent position in the Finance department,” said the program’s coordinators Bernice Wright, Organization Development Consultant and Bianca Ray, Human Resources Project Coordinator.
In addition, the coordinators learned a lot from the interns through Friday forums and the interns’ final project presentations.
The coordinators thanked all of the executives, managers, mentors and others who gave their time and energy to support this summer’s program. They extended a special thanks to Jon Kunkle for his sponsorship and words of wisdom delivered during the graduation celebration.
KPMAS’ Summer Internship program supports the region’s growth strategy by increasing brand recognition, attracting millennial talent and enhancing our workforce to reflect the communities we serve. The interns’ experience was based on three critical components: education, exposure, and experience.
