This blog series offers a glimpse into reSET’s summer internship program in entrepreneurship. The series captures interns’ experiences, both with reSET’s curriculum and the startups that they are working alongside. Jack Wang is an international student attending Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT.

My name is Chenjia Jack Wang and I am a rising junior studying Economics at Wesleyan University. As an international student in my sophomore year, I was desperately applying to every summer internship that I was eligible for. reSET happened to be one of them and I was intrigued by the unique structure of the internship program. Fortunately, I received the offer and decided to join reSET after hearing positive feedback from past Wesleyan interns. 

reSET has paired me with 3 incredible startups this summer: RecordMe , Untapped Potential and Supply Insight. RecordMe is a company that provides studio mixed recording for artists to monetize their music and performances without an upfront cost. I was responsible for managing its social media content and creating databases for potential artists and venues to work with. I also performed data analysis to maximize customer reach and conversion rates. Untapped Potential serves to bring back skilled professionals who have temporarily opted out of the workforce by offering professional development and networking opportunities and resources. I helped enhance the functionality of its website development by following various use case scenarios and documenting errors and areas of improvement. I was also assigned the task to research web analytics and develop solutions to attract more customers. Supply Insight is an RFID (radio-frequency identification) asset tracking and management company. I was responsible for creating comprehensive test plans and user manuals for its new website/portal and IOS application. 

My project partner, Madi Duffy, and I are working on a travel network/database that would connect young travelers with local people and culture to have authentic yet socially-conscious travel experiences while knowing they are contributing to the sustainable development of their destination cities. Many travelers are frustrated by the lack of understanding of lifestyle norms (transportation, safety, social expectations and etc) in different cities and the fact that mainstream businesses don’t typically promote sustainable practices. Therefore, we are aiming to provide a platform with valuable resources for travelers to interact with locals and discover more activities, restaurants and shops that benefit the local community. 

My major takeaway from both the venture project and the internship program in general is how much it really takes to start and maintain a successful business. The amount of extensive research required and the sheer variety of things to consider prior to starting a business are just beyond my initial expectations. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to learn about the different components in creating a business plan. It has also helped me further contemplate and understand how companies in different industries operate and what caused certain companies to be more successful than others.

The post Summer Intern Bio: Jack Wang appeared first on reSET Social Enterprise Trust.