Intern Gabe Kuhn- Great Plains Communications & HighTouch Technologies

Hello, Bonjour, Hei, Cześć, my name is Gabriel M. Kuhn.

I am a senior at Andale High School and am currently enrolled in an internship class that has allowed me to expand my knowledge of the business field by having hands on shadowing of someone who has been doing this for a while now. For someone who does not know me very well, I will start off by saying that I am an active person who enjoys being outdoors. My family has a mountain home in Fairplay, Colorado that I visit all the time in the summer. While I'm there, I take my Jeep Wrangler through the mountain trails and also hike 14’ers. Besides breathing fresh pine air, I also enjoy watching the beautiful game also known as soccer. My favorite club is Tottenham Hotspur, who play in the Barclay’s Premier League in England. I hope to one day be able to attend their matches but for now I just watch them on TV at 6:00 in the morning.

Now that you know more about me here is a debriefing of what my internship will be of. The internship will occur with two different companies. The first one being, Great Plains Communications where I will be learning more about the world of telecommunications. I am excited for this internship specifically because it will improve my social and business skills with other people and will give me an upper edge on the other applicants when it comes time to getting accepted into a college. My other company, High Touch Technologies, is a lot bigger than Great Plains Communications and will give me a more in-depth approach on the exquisite world of I.T. and cloud based services. I am anxious to meet my mentor Jeff Lucas, who knows a whole lot more than I know and will be a great person to study and learn from.

This career path is one that is not typically chosen but I feel as if it suits me very well. Since I was young I have always been inspired by technology and how it is advancing at a tremendous pace. My father has spent 20+ years in the telecommunications field and now just transferred to the I.T./ Cloud Storage field; so just by studying what he has done has helped me choose this pathway. The last reason why I chose this pathway is because I wanted to dress and be in a job path that is similar to my favorite movie series, James Bond, where you wear a suit everyday to work and talk business over a cocktail.

For me to reach this goal and job many things must be put into place first such going to college to learn important skills. To be successful in this career, prestige plays a major toll in what goes on so the more college the better. I plan on getting my bachelors and then moving on for a masters which will benefit me in the future. Getting a degree in Business and Management is probably the best way to go but, also taking classes that are related computer technology can also help out for this career. I will also more than likely have to move away from the Wichita area to get employed at a successful company, so cities such as Denver, Austin or Chicago are on my radar for possible openings in the future. I will also have to build relations even before I apply for my first job because this field is big on creating relations with other people. This internship will be perfect for just that so that when I get out of college I will already know a few people that could help me out.

Throughout the duration of this internship I hope to learn a lot about what the I.T./Cloud Storage field has to offer. Some specific things that I want to gain knowledge of is for starters, the terms. There are so many terms and acronyms that are used on a daily basis so memorizing this for the future will be very beneficial. The overall atmosphere of the office is something that I will also be aiming for to get accustomed to. Every office is different, it could be as chaotic as a Wall Street mutual fund company or laid back like a law firm.

At Great Plains Communications things are very simple; business telephone.  The CEO, Jim Bevilacqua, primarily has and still does provide telephone services to companies in the region. In April of 2016, High Touch Technologies bought out GPC and took the reigns on all of the serious business which brings me on to my next company of discussion, High Touch Technologies. The company was started in 1984 by Dave Glover, Mark Lenz and Ted Carey. The company provides the following services to their customers; virtual cloud storage and backup, virtual desktop housing (aka WAAS), video conferencing and rent-to-own software. This prestigious company is one of the biggest cloud storage providers in the Midwest and works with companies such as HP, Dell, Colorado Springs Utilities and Yingling Aviation.

This internship opportunity has me very excited and nervous at the same time. A part of me is eager to get started and begin my first day in the real world but at the same time my body is full of cortisol creating the “butterflies in the stomach” feeling that makes you uneasy at night. One thing is for sure though; I am ready to get started and learn all there is to the serious business world.

I feel that looking at other people my age that could be possibly looking into this field that I have a few traits and skills that sets me apart. I am a perfectionist in almost everything that I do so that even the little tasks are something that I put maximum effort into. Another trait that I contain is my energetic and vibrant personality that may be do to the large amount of caffeine that I consume on a daily basis; but even on a Monday I come ready and will stay alert the whole day. The last trait that I think is the most important one that I have is my attitude to strive for success. In my daily life I am working on becoming the best I can possibly be and always work on being more successful that you were yesterday.

My plans for the future to me are pretty straightforward even up to the point of getting my masters degree. As of right now I plan on attending Hutchinson Community College for a year to obtain my associates degree and run short distance for the track team. After that I look towards the University of Kansas where I will attending classes at the business hall to get my bachelors in Business & Management. Once I obtain that goal I look towards Europe to get my masters. The reason being for that decision is because the education system is better and more cost efficient for international students. It will also look great on a resume that I studied in a foreign country. I am currently looking at Finland, Germany or Sweden for my masters degree whom all have a great education system with top notch universities and could also be a great place to look for a job once I graduate. And not to mention that the food is 10 times better.

This whole internship will be a great learning experience for me and will open many pathways for the future. Like I mentioned before, I am very eager to start and learn more about the business technology field. This blog entry has been my very first entry but certainly not the last so in the meantime; greetings and salutations.