At enFocus, we support successful entrepreneurs by providing them with a robust variety of professional resources to overcome their challenges and take their ideas to the next level.

The enFocus internship provides young professionals with new skills, while helping them build relationships and confidence to step out into the world where an infinite number of opportunities await.

A celebration was held Wednesday night for a nonprofit working to attract and keep new workers in the South Bend/Elkhart area.

enFocus has been working in the community for 11 years and focuses on finding young talent to bring into the community.

Since they began, enFocus has had more than 200 fellowships, 1,300 internships and has completed 597 projects.

Over the course of the summer, our internship cohort has contributed more than 7,000 hours worth of innovation to the South Bend-Elkhart region. Amongst the interns, these hours make them one step closer to a career of their own design. Whether it’s further qualification, or testing the waters of a specific work sector, our interns are sure to be making progress toward their long-term goals.

Over our interns’ eight-week experience, they have the opportunity to explore the South Bend-Elkhart region with all it has to offer. Check out some of the adventures our interns have embarked on over the course of their summer months.

Our interns have tremendous talent, and we strive to guide their capabilities so they can leverage their skills to their fullest potential. In this week’s blog, you will learn about four of our current interns, what they bring to the table, and what skills they seek to develop during their full-time internship.

At a pivotal time in my secondary education, I had to make the choice of what subjects I would study in the last 2 years of school. The subjects I would choose would open doors to higher education in college, and eventually a career. On the other hand, the subjects I didn’t choose would mean hammering the last nail in the coffin for other subject streams.

In January of 2017, I was beyond excited to start my international journey in the Kingdom of Eswatini where I was participating in the International Baccalaureate Diploma. It was a two-year program that developed leadership skills by teaching students how to use education to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. After a rewarding two-years, I graduated with a Bilingual International Baccalaureate Diploma, and I took a gap year to share the knowledge and experiences I gained with my peers in my hometown Mutare, Zimbabwe.

The Marshall County Lifelong Learning Network (LLN) was founded in 1998 to provide career and technical education (CTE)  for high school youth. In 2021, the organization sought to broaden its scope to meet community needs by providing inclusive educational opportunities ranging from early childhood through adulthood.

The tree line blurred as her eyes became unfocused. Shaking her head, she glanced back at her computer. She had been reflecting on her hometown: South Bend, IN.

She wondered what her past self would think of where she had landed. Her past self had thought she would be a professor considering her degrees from Bethel University (IN) were in Biblical Studies and Philosophy.

When I was a child, I was full of curiosity. Like many kids, I wanted to be a part of everything and I wanted to understand the world around me.

Citywide Classroom is a collaborative partnership to expand connectivity resources typically found in South Bend and Mishawaka classrooms into neighborhoods and homes of students. Citywide Classroom was initially launched in South Bend mid-pandemic to provide internet connectivity to approximately 30% of students without reliable access in the South Bend Community School Corporation. Citywide Classroom provided and continues to provide free at-home services to 4,200+ South Bend students without adequate internet connection.

I got this job by asking questions. I blame my mother. She has always told me, “You’ll never know until you ask,” and while she was not wrong… I don’t think anyone anticipated where those questions would take me.

“What do you want to do in the future?”

That’s a question I remember being asked by one of my best high school friends. I had always known the answer, “I want to be an entrepreneur,” I said.

Recruitment and hiring of international individuals can have a positive impact on communities through attracting skilled talent to difficult technical roles, supporting population growth, and driving economic development. The City of South Bend recognizes the potential for economic growth with international talent.

In the summer of 2017, I realized working a desk job left me wanting more, it’s not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I needed to take a step back, figure out how to reevaluate my life and discover what I’m truly passionate about and what I want to accomplish. My next decision fell in line with my all or nothing attitude towards life.

Approximately 45% of 4th-6th graders in Elkhart County school districts are obese. In response, the Northern Indiana Hispanic Health Coalition (NIHHC) created the Healthy Hearts program to educate Elkhart County students in 4th-6th grade on the importance of heart health. The program teaches students about nutrition and exercise through hands-on activities led by a trained facilitator during the school day.

My professional journey began with a phone call. When I was 10 years old, I phoned my local bicycle shop to help troubleshoot a problem: the brakes on my vintage Schwinn were not working properly. With the shop owner’s verbal guidance, I removed the faulty part, procured a replacement, and successfully completed the repair. A short time later, the bike shop owner reached out to my parents, inquiring whether I might want to apprentice as a mechanic.

Megan received a B.A. in History and English Literature from the University of Tennessee and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina. She is using her skills and passions to impact childhood immunizations in Elkhart County.

Elkhart County launched the dark fiber connectivity initiative in 2018. Dark fiber is a vendor-neutral optic strand that can be “lit” by any service provider to provide internet service. According to FCC Broadband statistics in June 2021, 70% of Elkhart County residents had no access to fiber optic broadband and 24% of residents had availability to only one provider.