Virginia Beach, VA (March 10, 2023) – A student will soon be named America’s Next Great Intern. After reviewing nearly 200 submissions from across the country, Rubin has chosen 16 finalists who showcase top-tier communication skills essential in an internship.

Prizes include a stipend for professional clothing, a professional headshot, a paid virtual internship, a cash bonus for the teacher of the winning student and more.

Rubin, the leader in online curriculum for employability and workplace readiness skills, hosts the competition.

Demand for intern and job applicants with “soft skills” is a top priority across all industry sectors. According to a 2022 survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 76% of respondents want to hire young people who can work on a team, 73% want ones with strong written communication skills and 58% seek new hires who can speak well.

The submission period for the America’s Next Great Intern contest ran throughout February 2023, which is National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. All middle school, high school and post-secondary CTE students were eligible.

The instructions were drawn from Rubin’s Emerge curriculum, a broad library of online exercises for employability skills like email/phone etiquette, job interview prep, LinkedIn communication and more. Rubin provides Emerge to CTE programs nationwide.

A panel of judges (Rubin team members, industry professionals and staff from the Association for Career and Technical Education) assessed the students across five areas.

1. Greeting: Video recording of the student engaging in a professional handshake
2. Phone Skills: Video recording of the student leaving a mock voicemail and answering the phone at a place of business
3. Team Communication: Email in which the student updates a teacher or employer on the status of classwork or a project at an internship/job
4. Resiliency & Determination: Written example of a time in which the student demonstrated resiliency in the face of a challenge on a class/club project, volunteer opportunity or internship task
5. Research & Critical Thinking: Questions the student prepares to better explore a company where the student would like to intern

Rubin encourages the public to vote here on the national finalists through April 7, 2023. The Rubin team will announce 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners on April 12, 2023.

“Employers often lament that students don’t possess the ‘soft skills’ necessary to engage in an office setting or on the job site,” says Danny Rubin, founder of Rubin. “We hope the contest shows that, yes, there are motivated young people coast to coast who will add value to any business or organization.”

2023 America’s Next Great Intern National Finalists

Bezawit Abate, 10th Grade

Potomac Senior High School

Prince William County Schools

Dumfries, VA

Teacher: Ms. Eula Tillar

 

Tucker Brookman, 12th Grade

Lord Botetourt High School

Botetourt County Public Schools

Daleville, VA

Teacher: Ms. Katrina Kish

 

Ivory Carney, 12th Grade

Allen Village School

Kansas City, Missouri

Teacher: Dr. Terri Redden

 

Sameer Eppanapally, 12th grade

Stockdale High School

Kern High School District

Bakersfield, California

Teacher: Mr. Brian Devitt

 

Violet Gude, 10th Grade

Las Vegas Academy of the Arts

Clark County School District

Las Vegas, Nevada

Teacher: Ms. Elizabeth Strehl

 

Lucy Hansen, 11th Grade

Boone High School

Boone Community School District

Boone, Iowa

Teachers: Ms. Lindsey Hyman and Ms. Amy Bossard

 

Madison Hansen, 12th Grade

Littleton Health Sciences

Littleton Public Schools

Littleton, Colorado

Teacher: Ms. Heidi Mahn

 

Laurengail Lorenz, 12th Grade

Elk River Senior High School

Independent School District 728

Elk River, Minnesota

Teacher: Mr. Matt Stueber

 

Bryleena Patterson, 12th Grade

Central High School

Phenix City Schools

Phenix City, Alabama

Teacher: Mrs. Valerie Thornton

 

Rosemary Ruan, 10th Grade

Northwest Guilford High School

Guilford County Schools

Greensboro, North Carolina

Teacher: Mrs. Chandra James

 

Clara Sanchez-Lapitan, 12th Grade

Advanced Technology Center

Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Teacher: Ms. Anna-Lisa Wanack

 

Yug Sarin, 9th Grade

Fuquay-Varina High School IT Academy

Wake County Public School System

Cary, North Carolina

Career Academy Coordinator: Ms. Rhonda Lusher

 

Alondra Sanjurjo-Mercado, 11th Grade

Colonial Heights High School

Colonial Heights Public Schools

Colonial Heights, Virginia

Teacher: Ms. Susannah Oates

 

Mickala Tenn, 12th Grade

Putnam City North High School

Putnam City Schools

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Teacher: Ms. Amanda Davis

 

Ana Vaeao, 11th Grade

Oceanside High School

Oceanside Unified School District

Oceanside, California

Teacher: Ms. Kim Roy

 

For more information or to set up an interview, please contact Danny Rubin at danny@rubineducation.com.

About Rubin:

Rubin is the leader in online instruction for employability and work readiness skills. The company, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, provides Emerge, a digital curriculum that teaches effective writing and speaking skills, to thousands of students in middle school, high school and higher education. Rubin also has a soft-skill notification tool for email writing called Propel.

Founded in 2017 by Danny Rubin, a former CBS television news reporter and consultant to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rubin teaches students nationwide critical lessons for email/phone etiquette, networking, team communication, leadership communication and more. Our motto: “Write well, open doors!”

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