51乱伦

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Lakeland student making most of classroom, Co-Op experiences

Apr. 25, 2024

Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Deidre Martinez didn鈥檛 come to her alma mater last December looking for an intern, but this visit proved serendipitous.

51乱伦 junior Gabe Ascher put on a clinic in networking skills during a lunch conversation that netted him a job with the chamber, the latest in a series of accomplishments for the Wautoma, Wis., native. The 20-year-old is in his second year of college and on track to graduate with a Lakeland bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration with a finance emphasis in three years.

Martinez, who received her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from Lakeland, had returned to campus to speak at the annual Business & Entrepreneurship Colloquium, which spotlights successful alumni.

Ascher, a recipient of Lakeland鈥檚 prestigious J. Garland Schilcutt Scholarship, was seated at Martinez鈥檚 table for a luncheon with high school students after the event. 51乱伦 an hour later, he was on his way to becoming finance and administrative support intern for the Sheboygan County Chamber.

鈥淚n my professional experience and as a parent, Gabe is really quite mature for his age,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淗e is obviously super smart, and if he wants it, he鈥檚 going to go out and get it. He鈥檚 hungry, a young man further ahead in his career for his age.鈥�

Ascher has a wide-ranging role at the chamber that includes finance, marketing, networking and leadership. He鈥檚 worked with Quickbooks, accounts receivable, spreadsheets and budget creation. He gathered data and created the chamber鈥檚 2023 success graphic and is playing a lead role in creating the chamber鈥檚 Community and Resource Guide, a significant piece that is distributed to 15,000-plus people. He鈥檚 worked on the 鈥淢ake Your Mark鈥� workforce development campaign with local experiential marketing agency Fifth Color.

He has also helped to lead the chamber鈥檚 junior leadership program pilot, honing his public speaking and leadership skills by working with talented high school juniors and seniors.

鈥淕abe is young, hip and cool and he knows us,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 had an opportunity to build important professional relationships. He鈥檚 getting a full experience of business in general. We don鈥檛 all get to work in places where we are so compartmentalized.鈥�

This is Ascher鈥檚 first office experience and his first using financial software and technical terms in the workplace.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot more hands-on with everything,鈥� said Ascher, who was named winner of Lakeland鈥檚 2023-24 Outstanding Student in Business Administration. 鈥淵ou get thrown into the fire and see what happens. You鈥檙e tasked with problems, and you come up with solutions.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned that everyone works at different speeds. The way people communicate is different 鈥� some want reminders about projects and others don鈥檛 and you have to cater your communication style to that. I鈥檝e done a lot of asking who needs help. I tell people 鈥業 am looking to make your life easier.鈥欌��

Applying the skills he is learning in the classroom in various workplaces is a centerpiece of Ascher鈥檚 time at Lakeland. He is on track to earn 15 academic credits toward his degree thanks to Lakeland鈥檚 Cooperative Education program.

This summer, he has landed a highly sought finance internship with global consumer goods company Unilever at their U.S. headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Unilever owns approximately 400 brands, including products like Dove, Marmite, Lynx, Ben & Jerry's and Hellmann's.

Ascher will learn the brand he鈥檒l be assigned to work with about two weeks before he moves to New Jersey in early June. He will also know when he leaves toward the end of summer if Unilever will offer him a job post-graduation.

The Unilever role will be the fourth employer for this young professional. After working for Culver鈥檚, Ascher spent three summers working at Two Oaks North Golf Course in his hometown. He鈥檚 served a variety of roles including operating the pro shop, coordinating and leading large golf outings, and assisting with golf operations and bartending.

He also finds time to be involved at Lakeland, serving as a resident assistant and a member of Lakeland鈥檚 basketball and golf teams.

鈥淚鈥檓 a small-town kid who went to a small high school and college who鈥檚 getting thrown into New Jersey and the greater New York area,鈥� Ascher said with a smile. 鈥淚鈥檒l get a good perspective on that life and take away those lessons. I鈥檒l have experience working in smaller and bigger environments to see which one I prefer.鈥�

Martinez said young professionals like Ascher are exactly what Sheboygan County needs for its future workforce and demonstrate how Lakeland鈥檚 Co-Op program is a talent importer for the region.

鈥淟akeland is the largest contributor of bringing outside talent into Sheboygan County and working to retain them in our space,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淎s employers, we need to understand what Lakeland is doing, support it in a greater way and give them more opportunities. Employers need to be trained in how to engage with young professionals to ensure a good internship experience.

鈥淲e need to make sure we鈥檙e empowering young professionals. We need to engage them in Sheboygan County culture. As they are emersed they choose to stay here. We need that on a larger scale.鈥�