By Zoe Winterbotham
August 25, 2023
I started my summer knowing I would be interning for the non-profit, IACMI – The Composites Institute. I had a Google search depth of knowledge of what composites are and a social media and photography background in real estate. My first day on the job was a shocker. I quickly learned in order to be successful with the national institute, I needed connections with coworkers and flexibility.
My IACMI experence has taught me alot the past three months. My first time at an ACE (America’s Cutting Edge) training bootcamp, I saw firsthand how needed the program is in communities, especially in rural Tennessee. I witnessed how hard the IACMI workforce team labors to grow this workforce development network across the U.S. ACE training , just like an internship, is a step toward success and depending where you are in life, might inspire a whole career. I saw many people who depended on this free program for knowledge of CNC machines in order to move up in their careers. CNC training could even mean a raise. I saw people in trade school going through ACE as their first step in becoming a machinist. Before long, they’ll be out in the jobforce. Working with IACMI and ACE, I got to be a part of a bigger picture.
For most of my summer, I focused on preparing for IACMI’s biggest event of the year, the Summer 2023 Members Meeting. This year was hosted in my hometown, good ole Rocky Top Tennessee. Growing up in Knoxville, I knew the area well so I made “insider” videos for the out-of-town members who would be visiting the Maker City. I scouted all over downtown Knoxville collecting video and story content; it was one of the highlights of my summer. I also directed, shot, and edited a video featuring Wildcat Manufacturing, a local high school machine shop lead by students – all of whom are alums of ACE training. These students used their maching skills to manufacture a cool, mini-Sunsphere to give away to IACMI members.
Working as a communications intern, I was heavily involved in social media and two important websites, iacmi.org and americascuttingedge.org. website. A guilty pleasure of mine is that I am constantly online. Social media can be intimidating because it sometimes feels like a guessing game when it comes to creating content. I enjoyed taking pictures and editing the images for IACMI and ACE social media. This internship for me was not only a great opportunity, but an eye- opening experience for what I want to do as a career. The internship showed me how important communication is for companies and organizations. Working in communications, you make connections and work with almost everyone in the company to create a brand and profile. Now with this internship under my belt, I am changing my major to Public Communications with a minor in English. IACMI wants to provide people the opportunity to grow, and through my experience they do!
Since May, Zoe Winterbotham has served as the summer communications intern for IACMI. She is a student at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. She is (now) majoring in Public Communications and minoring in English. She truly enjoyed her time with IACMI and encourages others to learn more about both IACMI and ACE.