InternBR: My Experience and the Best Way to Improve Your Professional Development

Over the summer I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the inaugural session of InternBR. This is an initiative from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) designed to provide area interns with professional development and training.

I was lucky to have been selected as one of 30 area interns to participate in this program, which took place over a 10-week period. We met every Friday for lunch-and-learn sessions at various places throughout Baton Rouge, and had a different guest speaker each week.

Through this program we learned important professional development skills such as, email and social media etiquette, business dinner etiquette, leadership styles and development, personal branding, crucial conversations, and interview preparedness.

I've always been a firm believer in the importance of internships, but this program showed me how equally important it is to participate in professional development and networking.

For those of you still in college, this could mean joining clubs on campus that relate to your major or intended job, holding leadership positions within that club, and participating in programs that cater to interns and young professionals, like InternBR.

If you're nearing the end of your college career or newly graduated, I highly recommend searching out formal and informal networking opportunities in your area. This can be through professional organizations that cater to your field, such as the Public Relations Association of Louisiana, or attending events hosted by community-focused organizations, like the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. You can also look into joining organizations such as Baton Rouge's Forum35 and the Junior League of Baton Rouge. These organizations give members a chance to build leadership skills and relationships through community events and service work.

Networking and professional development is so important in life and in business today. You never know who you're going to meet, what you could learn along the way, and what exciting opportunities are in store for you!

The Best Ways to Stay Healthy While Living on Campus

I recently moved back into my sorority house so that we could begin preparing for fall sorority recruitment and the start of my senior year. It was absolutely amazing to see all of my friends and sorority sisters after a long summer of working and living at home, but spending two weeks in a house with a couple hundred girls does not come without its health risks.

Fevers, colds, and stomach viruses can spread so quickly when you live in close quarters - whether it's a sorority house or a dorm room, so I wanted to do a quick post to highlight the best, and easiest ways to stay healthy when you're living in a shared space.

I'm in no way a medial professional, but these tips have helped keep me feeling healthy and happy while living on campus.

My Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Finds

Since summer is still in full swing down in Baton Rouge, it's hard to think about fall fashion and shopping for cold weather clothing. The only thing that could make me think about cardigans, jeans, and booties though is the annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale because it is too good to pass up...

With that in mind, I decided to hop on board and take advantage of some great fall fashion steals!

Weekend Road Trip: Crossett and Little Rock

I absolutely love weekend road trips and exploring new places!

This summer my friend, Laura, was interning in Crossett, Arkansas. To be honest, I'd never heard of that town before, so when she asked me to come visit, I jumped on the opportunity for a new adventure!

On Friday I picked up my friend Alex and we started our drive to Crossett. We had the best time catching up (she had been interning in New Orleans all summer), singing Taylor Swift songs, and enjoying the gorgeous scenery along the way (the drive to Crossett goes though a lot of small towns and farmland).

We finally arrived in Crossett, after a minor map mishap...

If you're traveling in a rural area, do NOT use a GPS/app that finds the shortest route to your destination. The app we were using told us to turn down a gravel road...in the forest...at night. After a couple of turns in the road and being chased by a dog, we lost cell phone service and were completely terrified! We ended up turning back around and getting back on the main road...but needless to say, we did not use that app for the reminder of our trip.

and met up with Laura at her apartment to plan out what we would do the next day!

Saturday in Little Rock

On Saturday we drove two hours from Crossett to Little Rock. We planned on exploring downtown, getting lunch and shopping, but we just so happened to be there on the day that the River Market District was celebrating their 20th anniversary. To celebrate, they had the Little Rock Farmers’ Market, train rides and bounce houses for kids, and live music and food trucks in the evening.

We were lucky to catch all of the fun things they had going on that day!

We started out at the Farmers’ Market before visiting a few of the local boutiques nearby. My favorite was Fringe. They had a great selection of on-trend pieces for great prices. I absolutely recommend stopping by if you're in Little Rock!

After shopping, we walked to check out the nearby Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, which highlights the many different types of animals and fish in Arkansas. It was a great (free) place to stop in, cool off, and learn a little bit more about the state.

I'm hooked on Arkansas!

We were pretty hungry after walking around all morning, so we grabbed lunch from Stickyz Rock 'N' Roll Chicken Shack. I definitely recommend eating here! The food was great and the atmosphere and décor was so cool!

Our last adventure of the day was a walk across Junction Bridge, which goes over the Arkansas River, to North Little Rock. The view was great and on the other side of the bridge we ended up finding a mural that shows the history of the state.

Sunday in Crossett

Before heading back to Baton Rouge on Sunday, Laura, Alex and I went to church and then had brunch at Country Vittles. This is a cafeteria style restaurant on Main Street in Crossett with incredible, friendly service and amazing home-style food. It's definitely the place to be on a Sunday afternoon because everyone there knew each other!

After brunch, Alex and I loaded up the car, said goodbye to Laura, and started our drive back to Baton Rouge. We had a great weekend visit and we thankfully didn't get lost on the way home!

Did we miss anything while we were on our road trip to Arkansas? Let me know in the comments below!