Kinesiology senior Jaden Lassiter knows that increasing his skillset is the best way to get ahead in a competitive job market. He wanted to have a career in the health industry, but at the end of his junior year, he thought he should do something to make himself more marketable.
I want to be as authentic as I can. I wanted to add value to my resume going into my senior year. I went onto the Bryan School website and saw (internship) positions in sales.
After speaking with John Chapman, the director of Business Development for the North Carolina Sales Institute at the Bryan School, Chapman suggested a summer sales internship at TPx Communications. The IT company specializes in cyber security, cloud and connectivity solutions and had the company’s inaugural internship position in Florida, where Lassiter eventually wants to live.
Lassiter began his sales development internship on June 13, and has blossomed in the position. He talks to customers about how they can address IT problems and how TPx Communications can best assist the companies he’s calling.
Lassiter said the company opened itself up to him, showing him that business is not just about making money, but about doing your best.
“This has been one of the most beneficial opportunities of my life. I realized I don’t fear trying new things and can take on anything. Even though I’m a kinesiology major, I can still take on another field. I had to go through the business department to get this internship, and I’ve seen that I can be versatile.”
Lassiter drew on his kinesiology degree to ensure success during his internship.
“The understanding that it takes a healthy mindset and body through adequate exercises to accomplish great success is what is so special about my kinesiology degree with this internship,” he said. “If you’re not giving your full 100% every day to be the greatest version of you that you can ultimately be, then how can you really be an impact and solution to our society from a business perspective? What you put in internally is what you get out externally.”
He credits his mother’s support for helping him to be such a positive individual and helping him to be his own biggest supporter, as well as Chapman, who showed him the way to get the internship with TPx Communications.
Lassiter is also grateful to Roddrick Jefferson, a software engineer that Lassiter met through LinkedIn, and who he considers a mentor.
Prior to this position, Lassiter planned on using his kinesiology degree to be a personal trainer. However this position, along with a previous job working at a pharmacy and filing insurance information, helped him realize he wanted to go in a different direction in the health care industry.
I want to use my background to go into health informatics. Hospitals are increasingly at risk for cyber attacks. I want to improve software to increase patient security. My goal is to develop secure software so hospitals aren’t fined if someone accesses patient records.
His internship concluded August 6, 2022.