This summer (2018) Flow hosted two interns as part of a 10-week paid internship. In addition to day-to-day independent projects, interns spent time shadowing and gathering real-life work experience from members of the Flow team. What made the internship unique is that it’s open exclusively to Denver Minds Matter graduates.What’s Minds Matter? It’s a program that connects students from low-income backgrounds with resources and connections necessary to achieve success. (You can learn more about it here.)

Take a look at what our interns had to say about themselves and their experience at Flow!

Lucero Montoya

There’s a saying that goes, “If you ever want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” God was laughing at me hysterically because the past two years of my life have not gone how I have planned.Junior year of high school, my father relapsed. Our whole family didn't know how to help him, or even if to help. I pent up anger and sadness and was really unhappy. Minds Matter of Denver helped me push through, and I got to my senior year with no difficulties in my education.Then, senior year, preparing for college really did not go as planned. Complications with my family’s income left me unable to apply for need-based scholarships. I couldn’t receive financial aid from schools, either. I was denied every scholarship I applied to. My plans of going to school out of state on a full-ride were pretty much ignored by my Creator.But my faith kept me going. I knew I was made for something greater than I imagined, so when the opportunity to work with Flow came up, I took it. This summer has proven to me that everything happens for a reason.The time that I’ve been with Flow, I have learned everything I didn't even know I wanted to learn! I learned about the research that goes into marketing, the steps behind creating content, and how to communicate with co-workers and with clients.Now it’s August and I’m cautiously rewriting my plans, rethinking my purpose, and going deeper with my goal of becoming an educator. This fall I will start a degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of Colorado, Denver. I am going to include everything I’ve learned this summer to make a great life for me, my family, and those around me.

Likes:

Music, Indycar racing, Italian culture, and being with my family

Dislikes:

Escalators, scary movies, bugs, and breakfast food

Sogra Naseri

When people of marginalized identities experience hurdles in their lives, it makes it harder for them to progress. I did not grow up with a lot but I was fortunate enough to get into Carleton College, where I am majoring in Political Science/International Relations and minoring in French. I know that school is not made to benefit everyone.Others have a much rockier path than my own, which is why I want to use the privileges I receive to give back. I was born and raised in Denver. I always enjoyed school and felt lucky when I was offered to join Minds Matter in high school. I would not be at Carleton on a full-ride scholarship had I not had guidance from my mentors. When I left for Carleton, I had no idea I would be majoring in Political Science/International Relations, but I am confident I made the right choice. Political Science allows me to understand why some are not as privileged as others.I do not want to just throw a bandaid on problems. I want to help find preventive solutions. While I enjoyed the hands-on experience I got from my internship at Flow, (like copywriting techniques and competitive market research) what will stick with me most is Flow’s company culture. I remember in one meeting something Andy said about being a Giver. He said you don’t have to be selfless all of the time to be altruistic: you can help yourself while also creating avenues through which to help others. Helping yourself doesn’t mean you should hoard your gains; instead, you can use your gains to help others.It’s this insight into Andy’s altruistic philosophy that helped me see the business world differently. To be completely honest, I was driven away from business because I see many corporations perpetuating inequity, but now I want to use what I learned in school, from my mentors, and from Flow to enhance business culture.

Likes:

American Horror Story, sloths, baseball hats, and being from Colorado

Dislikes:

Cake, weddings, humidity, and losing eyelashes