Colleen Roach

As I reflect on the past 8 months with Student Painters as a Branch Manager, I can confidently say it was the best professional and educational decision I've ever made. It was unlike any experience I’ve had in the classroom and I was able to challenge myself on a whole new level personally and professionally with real life business experience. As an intern I was responsible for building a customer base, recruiting, hiring/firing, and managing jobsites. With the proper guidance and mentoring Young Entrepreneurs Across America offers, it allowed me to learn and grow in a fantastic environment full of like-minded, ambitious young people. The fact that the interns in this program are able to take on so much responsibility without all the liabilities is an entrepreneurial opportunity that doesn’t come by often. Although the internship is a huge commitment, there is no doubt that the rewards are worth all the time and energy put in. Having started as a skeptic of the program, I couldn’t have asked for a greater experience with YEAA in the end; it was better than I could’ve ever expected.