CofC Honors junior Lauren Ollis has joined Knowledge Capital Group (KCG), a healthcare-oriented management consulting firm, as an undergraduate intern.
An International Business and Marketing double-major with a minor in Italian Studies, Lauren enters this internship with multiple study abroad experiences and leadership positions on campus at the College of Charleston. Some of these experiences include working as a Peer Facilitator for Beyond George Street and membership in the business fraternity, Phi Chi Theta.
Lauren applied for the internship after seeing a posting for the position on the Honors Hub , the Honors College’s blog dedicated to connecting Honors students with opportunities in the community. She also found that this specific opportunity provided the perfect intersection between her interests: business and science.
“I have always loved science, however, when I came to the College, I decided to go into business,” Ollis said. “When I saw the opportunity at KCG, I realized that it was a great intersection between the two ideas, and I decided to go for it.”
In this role, Ollis assists team members with various tasks, including synthesizing resources, organizing contacts and accounts, and creating efficient and professional ways to communicate over Zoom.
“Officially, my favorite part is the fact that I get to work with a company that aids hospitals in their organization,” Lauren said. “Unofficially, my favorite part would be Sadie, our four-legged member of the office.”
This year has posed some unforeseen obstacles for many students working in intern roles, however, Lauren found it easy to adapt to a hybrid work environment. “My internship is about half and half, online and in-person. Most of what I do can be done from home, however, I prefer going into the office to do my work,” Ollis said. “I think moving forward for many jobs, there will be this half virtual and half in-person situation because many people who were hesitant to make the virtual switch before are finding that it can be much more convenient.”
Among her experiences at CofC, she found that her experiences in the Honors College and Phi Chi Theta prepared her well for the professional environment, both online and in-person.
“I believe that a mixture of the Honors College and Phi Chi Theta has really set me up well for working in a professional environment,” Lauren said. “They both helped me create a set of professional documents that can be used in the workforce, and they also both gave me tools to aid me in my online and in-person professional presence.”
Ollis is the fourth CofC Honors student to work with KCG, joining Raina Datt ’16, Misty Antonacci ’19, and Rachel Bradley ‘20. The firm began seeking out Honors students to fulfill intern roles because of the Honors College’s positive reputation in the Charleston community.
Misty Antonacci ’19, now graduated with a degree in Mathematics, was the first Honors student to join KCG as an undergraduate intern in 2018 and stayed on full-time as a Project Coordinator after graduation.
“We only recruit undergraduates from the Honors College because we want the best that CofC has to offer,” Misty said. “Being an Honors student is a great experience because you get to learn a lot outside of your major. This is critical in the professional world because it teaches you to be adaptable.”
The Honors College values opportunities to connect our students with various research and internship opportunities in the community. If you or your business would like to advertise opportunities for Honors students, please fill out the Honors Hub post request form .
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