Young Professionals Finding Success

VISITING OUR WEBSITE. WGCU DOT ORG. ONE OF THE MAJOR INDUSTRIES IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IS PROVIDING SERVICES FOR RETIRED PEOPLE AS WELL AS A BOOMING POPULATION. NOW THE LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS GAINING QUITE A REPUTATION AS A MAGNET FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WANT TO REALIZE BIG DREAMS IN THIS FAST-GROWING REGION AND THIS WEEK'S BUSINESS REPORT, WE'LL LEARN MORE ABOUT ONE WOMAN WHO'S MAKING A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE LAUNCH CAREERS. CALIFORNIA NATIVE ACTUALLY DROZE SAYS SHE FOUND HER CALLING 12 YEARS AGO WHEN SHE STARTED WORKING AT FGCU. SHE'S RISEN TO THE RANK OF INTERIM DIRECTOR OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HELPING STUDENTS LINE UP INTERNSHIPS IN THE REAL WORLD. >> AND IF I CAN HELP THEM SEE HOW AWESOME THEY ACTUALLY ON HER AND THE POTENTIAL THAT THEY HAVE IN THEMSELVES, THAT THEY CAN THEN GO OUT AND APPLY TO 2 TO WORK. 2 ROLES THAT THEY NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE FOR THEMSELVES. YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY ABOUT THOSE 2 THINGS, POTENTIAL AND POSSIBILITY FOR STUDENTS. >> RECENTLY, DRONES WAS A FINALIST FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AND AWARD GIVEN BY OTHER GREATER FORT MYERS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, YOUNG IS DEFINED AS UNDER 40. AND ROSE WON THE AWARD. >> I WAS DEFINITELY SURPRISED. I WAS DEFINITELY ELATED TO US. I THINK I JUST LIKE THAT MY HEAD AND WE DO SO. YEAH, IT WAS A MEAN IT WAS WONDERFUL. IT'S SUCH AN HONOR. >> TO GENUINELY COMMITTED ABOUT STUDENT EXPERIENCES AND ENSURING THAT THEY COME OUT OF THE END OF THE INTERNSHIP PREPARED FOR THE WORKFORCE. SHE'S CLEARLY PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT. SOME OF THE MCINTOSH SAYS GROWS ENCOURAGED HER TO WORK AS AN INTERN. >> AT THIS AMAZON WAREHOUSE IN SAN CARLOS PARK. >> I HAD TO WORK WITH AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT TEAMS TO INTERNAL ONE EXTERNAL. THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT JOBS AND THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT PARTIES. AND I HAD TO LEARN HOW TO COMMUNICATE TO THEM. WHAT THE PROJECT THAT I'M WORKING ON, HOW IT BENEFITS THEIR TEAM AND HAD TO DO THAT IN A UNIQUE WAY BECAUSE IT DIDN'T BENEFIT ALL OF THEM IN THE EXACT SAME WAY. AND THAT WAS A BIG TRANSITION FOR ME. >> WHEN SHE GRADUATED IN MAY, MCINTOSH WAS VOTED INTO THE FGCU HALL OF FAME. ONE OF ONLY 10 STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT HONOR THIS YEAR. SHE SAYS HER INTERNSHIPS TOLD HER SO MUCH THAT SHE WAS OFFERED A FULL-TIME JOB IN PROCUREMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY. ACTUALLY DROZE. SHE SAYS APPOINTED HER TO SUCCESS. >> I RECOGNIZE ME 4 YEARS AGO AS A FRESHMAN, I HAD A LOT OF POTENTIAL. I DID NOT NECESSARILY KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE THAT. SO IF IT WASN'T FOR PEOPLE LIKE ASHLEY AND OTHER SUPPORTIVE STAFF, LIKE I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN HERE BECAUSE I NEEDED SOMEONE TO RECOGNIZE AND PROTECT POTENTIAL AND HELP ME, YOU KNOW, GROW. >> DRONES SPENDS A LOT OF TIME NETWORKING WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES SUCH AS AT THIS ROUNDTABLE WERE LEE HEALTH SUMMER INTERNS GAVE PRESENTATIONS ON WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED. >> AND THAT PROGRAM REALLY DOES. >> IN MIAMI AND GROWS SAYS BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IS VITAL FOR STUDENTS TO WATCH THEM. CHASE THESE DREAMS. THAT THEY'VE EITHER. >> HAD IN THEIR OWN HEARTS FOR A REALLY LONG TIME OR THAT THEY'RE JUST REALIZING NOW THAT THEY GET HERE. THERE'S JUST SO MANY BENEFITS TO IT LIKE WHEN EACH OF US FINDS THE THING THAT MAKES US COME ALIVE, IT'S THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY GO OUT AND IMPACT THE WORLD THAT THEY GO OUT, MAKE A BETTER PLACE ONCE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE FOUND WHERE THEY'RE MEANT TO BE. >> AND WE CAN TELL YOU THAT ACTUALLY GROWS AND THEN ARE LARGE TEAM AT FGCU ARE BEGINNING A NEW SEMESTER HELPING STUDENTS MOVE INTO INTERNSHIPS OUT IN