Immersive learning, mentorship, community involvement help define Midco internships

This paid piece is sponsored by Midco.

Chloe Loving’s first career move post-college graduation “has been nothing short of amazing,” she said.

The recent University of South Dakota grad and Sioux Falls native holds a bachelor’s degree in media, journalism and strategic communications and a minor in psychology.

She’s now a digital marketing intern at Midco, which attracted her because “growing up in Sioux Falls, I always thought highly of the Midco brand and was inspired by how they give back to the local community,” she said.

“Also, it was important for me to learn and develop my skills alongside professionals that are not only good at their jobs but are also good people – Midco felt like the perfect place to do that.”

James Momoh’s background is decidedly different but also brought him to an internship at Midco this summer. He grew up in Nigeria and is pursuing a master’s degree in data analytics from Dakota State University. He’s interning with Midco’s network intelligence team.

“I was motivated to pursue this internship because I wanted to gain practical experience in working with real-world data,” he said. “While I’ve worked with data in academic settings, I wanted to apply these skills in a professional environment and learn from industry experts.”

Momoh and Loving are among five interns working with Midco this summer – four in Sioux Falls and one in Minneapolis. It’s the eighth year of Midco’s intentionally structured, immersive internship program.

Interns work in operations in positions such as analysts, field operations, marketing, GIS and public relations. These are the interns for 2024:

• Tayven Badger of SDSU, field ops data analyst.
• Xavier Carbonneau of Augustana University, public relations.
• Isaac Grosser of University of Northwestern, St. Paul, software developer.
• Chloe Loving, USD, digital marketing.
• James Momoh, DSU, network intelligence analyst.

“We look at what areas of Midco’s business will benefit from intern support and contributions because we find even within a short time they can have a meaningful impact,” director of human resources Patti Hawkey said.

“We find projects they can focus on and ensure our leaders are committed to the work and that we’re finding mentors who can further support our interns.”

Digging in

For Momoh, primary tasks have included analyzing speed data generated by Midco’s network, exploring patterns and conducting statistical analysis.

“The sessions interacting with my mentor and supervisor so far have been enlightening; observing their problem-solving approaches and gaining insights into their thought processes has been profound.”

Already, he has learned “the importance of asking the right questions and understanding the problems you are tackling. The answer you get from a dataset depends on the questions you ask,” he added.

“Also, the quality of insights and solutions often hinges on how well you understand the problem. Plus, I’ve gained a practical understanding that real-world data is often imperfect, requiring adaptability and creativity in analysis and interpretation.”

Loving has been immersed in digital marketing, “which has given me insight into the workforce and what it’s like to work in digital marketing as a recent college graduate,” she said.

“Being a part of the Midco team has taught me the value of teamwork and how important it is to work together to reach a common goal,” she said. “I know that the lessons I’ve learned through this experience will stick with me throughout the rest of my career.”

With interns, Midco models its hybrid workplace philosophy, which is three days per week in the office.

“Because of that, we partner with local schools and are happy to be working with students from four universities: Augustana, DSU, SDSU and USD,” Hawkey said.

“They usually start in the beginning of June and have end dates throughout the month of August.”

Broader perspective

Beyond their project work, Midco interns also receive a comprehensive, immersive experience within the company.

Internships begin with a two-day kickoff designed to introduce them to Midco, its mission, vision and leadership, and which allows them to begin hearing from members of the team. The orientation also includes volunteering in the community, including serving at The Banquet this summer.

“It’s a very impactful way to start the internship and get to know your fellow interns,” Hawkey said. “We talk about how everything you put into this you’ll get out of it, and it goes fast, so take advantage of it.”

From there, “we host a series of workshops throughout the summer, and our leadership commits to participating,” Hawkey said. “We’ve really focused on key competencies and leadership success drivers – looking at how to accelerate career development and what the career journey can look like.”

The interns soon will experience a mid-program check-in “where we spend almost the entire day together, with networking opportunities and the chance to hear directly from our leadership – the pivotal moments in their careers and the insight they have to share,” Hawkey said.

The summer concludes with a presentation day in August where each intern speaks for up to 10 minutes about themselves, their internship experience and what they took away from it.

Lasting impression

Even weeks in, Loving can tell already that the program sets up interns with the resources, connections and experience they need, she said.

“During my time here, I’ve been continuously impressed by Midco’s investment in the growth of their employees – including me,” she said.

For Momoh, the experience “has been instrumental in helping understand how all the tools in data analytics come together in a practical setting,” he said. “The environment is collaborative, the people are awesome, and the leaders are forward-thinking. I look forward to continuing to learn as I progress through the internship.”

Midco begins hiring for future interns early in the calendar year. Keep an eye on the Midco careers page to apply.