This post was authored by Kat Falcinelli, a recent marketing intern on our Global Events TechX team.

To my Gen Z peers entering the work world:

If you, too, feel disillusioned by the "all talk, no action" companies hiring interns, Iask you to hear me out! Coming of age in the wake of the Great Resignation and the Covid-19 pandemic, I was inherently skeptical of what the corporate ladder had to offer. However,that sentiment changed during my time as a Marketing Intern at Cisco.

What changed my perspective? Well, here are three ways Cisco is redefining what it means to be a summer intern at a large corporation in 2022.

1. Company Culture Extends to Interns

Shortly after completing orientation for the Intern Program, I began working alongside who I now know as a mentor and friend: Jim Thein. At the time, I made many presuppositions around why I'd been assigned to work with Jim and how we would interact as coworkers. I felt certain that I'd function as an assistant to Jim rather than an equal and receive advice but never be asked to share my own. While that assumption may seem antiquated, it was based on my learned experiences both as a young woman and as a Gen Z-er entering the work world.

I knewabout Cisco's rating of#1 Best Workplace in the U.S. Still, I assumed that company culture didn't extend to interns, and my mentor/privacy law guru, Jim, would undoubtedly assign me to unfinished projects and fail to acknowledge my capabilities.

However, I couldn't have been more wrong. Since day one of working on projects with theGlobal Events TechXteam, I've felt that my input is valued. I lead and take full ownership of projects assigned to me. Not your standard summer intern busy-work projects either. Projects that directly impact the profitability of Cisco events!

I truly did not expect the weight my opinions and ideas would hold in conversations with fellow Cisconians. To give an example, my manager, Kelly, puts into practice a policy of mutual mentorship. Regardless of gaps in our career experience and age, she frequently asks for my advice! Yes, twenty-year-old undergraduate student me!

I feel empowered by the immense respect I receive from coworkers across the board. Knowing my ambitions won't be shrugged off gives me the confidence to pursue projects that interest me, even if I don't yet have the skillset to tackle them.

2. Work Life