Summer: Intern Season

Once you've worked in any environment for a few months, the culture and day-to-day nuances begin to seem natural. Coworking is no different. But most people can reflect back to their first days in the coworking scene and remember how those "normal" things seemed, for lack of a better word, odd. For myself, having come from working in the rigid environments of public institutions, the freedom and comfort of TechArtista came as a welcoming, but still surprising, shock.

Even though the changes were almost all positive, it still took me a while to acclimate. Little things, like being able to wear jeans to work and the freedom to get the job done when and wherever it suited me, still make me feel like I'm breaking the "rules".

Despite the acclimation period, it's obvious that the coworking environment is much more conducive to productivity and creativity. I'm able to be an active, healthy, and social human while fulfilling my responsibilities and helping our team grow. However, despite the growing number of people who feel trapped, unappreciated, and unhealthy in their traditional office environments, many people are not aware of the alternative opportunities that exist in coworking spaces. At TechArtista, we try to reach out and inform people that they do in face have choices when it comes to environment and culture in which they work.

So how do we do this? One way is by working with interns. It gives us the opportunity to get some new perspectives and minds working on our projects, but it also gives young entrepreneurs and students the chance to see that there is an alternative to traditional work environments.

In honor of our new summer interns, here is a little bio from each of them.

My name is Katherine Nachbar. I was born and raised in St. Louis, but, like many people at Techartista, I've also lived abroad in Japan and England. I am a rising senior at Cornell University, where I am double majoring in economics and Asian studies, and had the opportunity to spend last semester studying in Japan. It was an amazing experience, but I am definitely excited to be back in my hometown this summer!

I am interning at TechArtist as part of “The Internship Experience for Future Community Leaders” program of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. I will be examining the economic impact of incubators on their local communities. Although ultimately I would like to obtain evidence directly on the effect of TechArtista, I am currently reviewing the more general literature on incubators and related institutions, such as research parks. One specific question that I would like to address is to what degree incubators have helped communities retain highly educated workers.

Tony Gunn:

I’ve lived in St. Louis all my life, excluding the year I’ve been away in Springfield, Missouri for college. My life's passion is to be a bridge between aspiring young minds in St. Louis and the opportunities they seek. As a St. Louis native I'm familiar with the wide variety of minds that walk down the sidewalks of this city and am excited to meet new faces and explore the different ideologies amongst the TechArtista community. I look forward to exchanging some knowledge with all of you! I have a lot of different interests and passions, one of which is writing. I published by first book when I was in high school, and currently have a couple more in the works. Feel free to ask me anything; and if you're ever looking for an Adobe graphic designer, please keep me in mind as that is another passion of mine.

Jordan Butler : 

I have lived in St. Louis my whole life and am a recent graduate of Clayton High School. This fall I’m attending Indiana State University, home of the Sycamores! I’ll be majoring in Computer Engineering Technology. I’ve already been here for two weeks and I can honestly say I’m having a blast. I’ve learned about networking, building connections, and building a business from the ground up. This summer I hope to design and code my first web-based game, while gaining new programming skills and building connections with members of the TechArtista and St. Louis start-up communities. I'm excited to get to know everyone, and hope to be able to shadow some people this summer.