As this summer comes to an end, students will soon return to school. Many of them spent their break working or volunteering for local businesses or organizations, benefitting both the student and the community.

Lexi Henry is originally from Knox and attends Slippery Rock University, but spent her summer as an intern at the Venango Chamber. “I wasn’t sure what to expect from this internship, but I’ve gained so much from my time here,” she shared with us.

Lexi helped with everyday tasks, like answering phones, assisting visitors,  and helping with the newsletter, but was also responsible for specific projects for the Oil Heritage Festival, including posting on Facebook, organizing the  parade registrations, and collecting donations and putting together items for the basket raffle.

“This internship meshed well with my interests of planning and managing projects and also allowed me to be part of a team and help others,” she said. “I’ve gained confidence, knowledge about the area, and learned many new computer skills, programs, and technologies.”

We asked Emily Coxson, this year’s Oil Heritage Festival Queen and incoming senior at Oil City High School, about her time at the festival:

“This experience taught me that our community is so giving, and anyone loves the chance to come together if they have the opportunity,” she said.

“It allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone and taught me to forget about being nervous and enjoy exactly where I was in that moment.”

We also talked to Ian Hepler, who is a Cranberry High School graduate and student at Penn State University. He worked with Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps this summer, and told us:

“My summer involvement taught me that every person, regardless of where they started, where they’re headed, or where they are right now, is deserving of dignity and respect. I’ve enjoyed getting to meet so many people who have lived different experiences.”

While FLEX is focused on young professionals around the ages of 21 to 40, we’re excited to see younger people already contributing to our community.

If you get the chance, please thank students around you who are getting involved here, and encourage them to continue doing so. We wish the best of luck to those going back to school, and we hope to see you again next summer!

This article was published in the Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange’s (FLEX) August 2021 edition of the FLEX Your Ideas (FYI) Newsletter.