Voice of the Intern: Settling in and Leveling Up

August 22nd, 2025 by Sloan

By Kyizom Paldy, 2025 NextGen Intern

Hi, it’s me, Kyizom – back again! I’ve officially reached the one-month milestone in my internship, and I come bearing updates. I can now confidently say that I’ve settled in and found my rhythm. Coffee in the morning, lunch around noon, clocking out at five, and then a well-earned nap once I get home. And of course, there’s a bunch of meetings, filming, and all the little things that fill the time in between. Now that I’ve found my flow, I’m ready to take on whatever the day throws at me-even if it means stepping out of my comfort zone.

That’s exactly what Voice of the Intern did. There wasn’t a set foundation or template-I was stepping into a brand-new project with a blank slate. It was exciting, but also a little daunting. I wanted to make sure I stayed true to Walser’s tone and values while still bringing my own voice to the table. Each week, I interviewed a new department of interns, and I was truly impressed by their wisdom and early observations.

Walser’s accounting interns are spending their summer diving deep into the numbers that drive Walser’s business.

I met other interns like Farhan Mohamed, a Computer Science major at the University of Concordia-St. Paul. Farhan is spending his summer working with both hardware and software. He said the internship has given him hands-on project work that’s expanded his practical knowledge.

I also spent time with interns from Walser’s Sales Academy—students focused on learning the ins and outs of business from a retail sales perspective.

“I think [this experience has] impacted me a lot more in other ways that I’ve never really realized before. It’s provided me with just a lot of real-life experience that is going to be helpful in whatever career I choose in the future,” said Afton Kirby, 2025 Sales Academy intern.

I also realized there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into making it all run smoothly: finding dates that work, coordinating with the videographer, preparing questions, and uploading the content weekly. Luckily, I’m pretty organized.

Beyond Voice of the Intern, I’ve also been getting out of the office and visiting Walser stores as part of work with the Walser Foundation. These visits give me a chance to see how things operate on the ground and connect with team members in person. The goal is to gather feedback on how we can encourage volunteering and Employee Resource Group (ERG) participation. I’ve gotten a lot of great responses, and it’s been fascinating to see how different the day-to-day can be at each location.

Another important part of the NextGen Program is Accelerate Days.

These intensive, all-day experiences are a chance to connect with subject matter experts across Walser, learn from their experiences, and get inspired.

Accelerate Days are designed to provide a break from the day-to-day work and focus on growing as a team and as individuals. During our July latest Accelerate Day, we heard from several Walser team members who shared their unique career journeys-full of twists, turns, and lessons learned along the way. Their stories reminded me that success isn’t about a straight path, but about what you learn overcoming obstacles.

And as a bonus, we wrapped up the day by going to a Twins game-how cool is that? It was the perfect way to celebrate and unwind together.

All in all, this first month has been a mix of learning, growing, and connecting-with the work, the people, and the community.

Here’s to what’s next!