Rubin Announces National Finalists in First-Ever America’s Next Great Intern Contest
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.
- Greeting: Video recording of the student engaging in a professional handshake
- Phone Skills: Video recording of the student leaving a mock voicemail and answering the phone at a place of business
- Team Communication: Email in which the student updates a teacher or employer on the status of classwork or a project at an internship/job
- 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
- 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 1st, 2nd and 3rd 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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