It wasn’t until I crossed the river into Lafayette for an internship that my perspective changed.

For the first time, I started experiencing the community outside of campus. I discovered local businesses, the farmers market, and the people. I realized there was an entire community here that students often never fully experience during their time at Purdue. What started as an internship slowly became something more meaningful: a connection to a place.

That experience is a large part of why the Greater Lafayette Intern Experience matters now.

The program, organized through Greater Lafayette Commerce, was created to help interns experience Greater Lafayette beyond their workplace or campus. Through networking opportunities, social events, and community experiences, our initiative helps interns envision what life here could look like after graduation. In its first year alone, the program welcomed more than 300 interns representing 64 universities, 41 employers, and seven countries.

What stands out to me most is that the program recognizes something many communities overlook: talent retention is personal. Students and interns are far more likely to stay somewhere if they feel connected to it. A résumé-building internship is important, but relationships, experiences, and a sense of belonging are what ultimately make people want to build a life somewhere.

That is exactly what happened to me.

Now, as the person behind the Greater Lafayette Intern Experience, I see pieces of my younger self in many of the interns who participate. Some are here for only a summer. Some have never been to Indiana before. Some are trying to figure out if they can picture themselves building a future here. Others are simply looking for connection in an unfamiliar place.

I understand that feeling because I lived it.

This program is about creating the kind of experiences that can change someone’s relationship with a community. Sometimes all it takes is one downtown event, one meaningful conversation, one local business, or one summer memory to make a place start feeling like home.

The Greater Lafayette Intern Experience gives interns the opportunity to see this community the way I eventually did — not just as a college town, but as a place filled with opportunity, creativity, connection, and people who genuinely want them here.

And if even a few interns leave the summer feeling more connected, more confident, or more able to picture a future in Greater Lafayette, then the program is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

I graduated from Purdue University in December 2023, one semester early. At the time, I was proud of that. It felt like proof that I was ahead of the curve, that maybe I had figured something out early, that it might give me a leg up in a competitive job market.

It didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t how it worked.

During my last semester, I applied to no less than 50 jobs. I heard back from maybe 15, and most of those were automated responses. The rest either disappeared into silence or came back with the familiar message: “We have decided to move forward with other candidates.” Over and over again.

What no one really prepares you for is how personal that silence can feel, even when it isn’t personal at all.

There’s a strange identity shift that happens after college. You go from structured semesters, clear deadlines, and constant direction to an open-ended world that expects you to already know who you are and where you’re going. I didn’t. And I felt like I was falling behind in some invisible race that everyone else seemed to understand except me.

I went through what I can only describe as a few “midlife crisis moments,” except I was 21 and had just graduated. I questioned everything—my degree, my timing, my decisions, even whether I had misunderstood what success was supposed to look like. I thought I had to have every detail of my future planned out immediately, as if uncertainty was a flaw rather than a normal part of becoming an adult.

Eventually, I landed a job in December and started in January. It was a small team, in my field, and for that I am deeply grateful. I felt qualified, and for the first time in a while, I felt like I belonged somewhere professionally. I know that’s not something everyone gets right away, especially in the field they studied, and I don’t take that for granted.

But even with that job, the uncertainty didn’t disappear. If anything, it shifted. Instead of “Will I get hired?” it became “Am I on the right path?” and “Is this what I’m supposed to be doing long term?”

What I’ve learned over the past couple of years is that I cannot plan out my entire life. No matter how badly I want to, life doesn’t work in a straight line. Jobs come and go. People come and go. Plans change. Sometimes things end not because you failed, but because they were only meant to be part of a season.

That realization didn’t come all at once. It’s still something I remind myself of often. I still feel stuck sometimes. I still have moments where I wonder if I should be further along, doing more, or having it all figured out by now.

But I’m learning to loosen my grip on that expectation.

Through my faith, I’ve come to believe that even the detours have purpose, that what feels like confusion in the moment is actually preparation for something I can’t see yet. That belief hasn’t made everything easy, but it has made it lighter.

If there’s anything I would say to someone standing where I once was—fresh out of college, unsure, overwhelmed, and quietly panicking about the future—it’s this:

You are not behind. You are not failing because you don’t have a five-year plan that feels certain. You are not supposed to have it all figured out yet.

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You are allowed to try things and change your mind. You are allowed to take jobs that teach you what you don’t want. You are allowed to outgrow paths you once thought were permanent. You are allowed to be wrong.

And none of that disqualifies you. It shapes you.

Looking back, I can see that the version of me who was applying to jobs, waiting on responses, and doubting everything wasn’t lost. She was becoming. Every rejection, every uncertainty, every pivot was part of building something steadier underneath me than any job title ever could be.

The future still isn’t fully clear. I would venture to say it never is. But it doesn’t feel as frightening anymore. It feels open. And open, I’m learning, is not the same as empty.

It’s possibility.

And sometimes, that’s the most hopeful place you can be.

From a young age, I have always loved baking and creating memorable experiences for others. Whether it was baking something homemade for friends and family, planning gatherings that bring people together, discovering hidden local businesses, or finding creative ways to tell stories through content and social media, I’ve found joy in creating moments that made people feel welcomed and cared for.

My time in Greater Lafayette has shaped so much of my adulthood. I love the character of this community — the local coffee shops and restaurants, our downtown events, familiar faces, and the way people genuinely show up to support one another. Those experiences taught me early on that quality of life is not just about where you live, but how connected you feel to the people and places around you.

That belief is what drives the work I do today.

Through my work in community engagement and event programming, I’ve had the opportunity to help create experiences that encourage people to fall in love with Greater Lafayette the same way I have. Whether that is supporting the Historic Lafayette Farmers Market, coordinating intern and young professional programming, creating content that highlights local businesses, or promoting events that bring people downtown, I care deeply about making this community feel vibrant, welcoming, and memorable.

The farmers market especially holds a special place in my heart because it is what first drew me to Lafayette and eventually deciding to join Purdue University. I remember my first visit to the market — it felt like a familiar place where families create traditions, entrepreneurs chase dreams, local farmers and makers share their craft, and neighbors connect with one another. Watching people gather there every Saturday reminds me why investing in community spaces matters so much. These are the places where memories are made and where people begin to feel a true sense of belonging.

My background in hospitality naturally influences the way I approach community work. Hospitality, to me, is about intentionality. It is about creating environments where people feel comfortable, cared for, and excited to be there. Whether I am planning an event, spotlighting a local vendor, writing social media content, or simply recommending a favorite local business, I approach it with the mindset of creating an experience that leaves people feeling connected.

I also care deeply about supporting small businesses because I understand how much heart and hard work go into building something meaningful. Some of my favorite memories have come from discovering local shops, supporting entrepreneurs, and finding businesses with stories behind them. Those businesses are what give communities personality and life.

Outside of work, many of the things I love most continue to reflect that same passion for creativity and connection. I love baking, thrifting vintage pieces, creating content, exploring local eateries, and finding inspiration in everyday experiences. I have always believed that the smallest moments often leave the biggest impact.

For me, investing in quality of life means investing in people.

It means creating spaces where people feel welcome.

It means supporting the businesses and traditions that make a community unique.

And it means helping create experiences that make people proud to call Greater Lafayette home.

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