“Jonathan hasn’t been afraid to take on new projects, and he always accepts challenging work assignments with a smile and a ‘can-do’ attitude.”
– Corp Director of Business Development Chris Overby, about Emerging Leaders Intern Jonathan Strayhorn
For the past 4 months, 10 students from NC Central University have been interning in Capitol Broadcasting divisions through the inaugural Emerging Leaders Program. A partnership between CBC and Leadership Triangle, the program combines hands on learning in departments aligned to their interests along with workshops led by LT coaches. The program will culminate with a graduation ceremony on December 16. In the final weeks leading up to that conclusion, Capcom is profiling the individual outstanding students.
Jonathan Strayhorn is interning with CBC Corporate in the CBC Sales Resource Center, focused on Sales and Operations. Strayhorn is a junior at NC Central, pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice.
Corp Director of Business Development Chris Overby has been serving as Strayhorn’s CBC mentor, working with him in the small Corporate department focused on overall sales for the company. He has been happy to have the extra set of hands helping with the return of several in-person client events, as well as the opportunity to share his knowledge with an up-and-comer.
“I think the Emerging Leaders program is a great opportunity for both CBC and the students that participate,” said Overby. “Jonathan hasn’t been afraid to take on new projects, and he always accepts challenging work assignments with a smile and a ‘can-do’ attitude. A lot of his time has been spent researching technology, preparing for events, and pulling and analyzing reports from our sales systems. These things aren’t always fun and can be tedious, but Jonathan never complains!”
Strayhorn has been learning how the work he does impacts others.
“Because a lot of the work Jonathan has done has been ‘behind the scenes’ it could be easy to think it doesn’t matter,” said Overby. “We’ve been talking a lot about the importance of a job well done on each project – because the work he is doing touches many people across several teams. I think it’s important to follow up with feedback on how the work is being received by others.”
The NC Central junior quickly showed his understanding of how those seemingly random tasks matter and has been a valuable contributor to the team.
“On the day of our Partner All-Star baseball game at the DBAP, Jonathan took on so many odd-jobs – from floral arranger to locker room attendant – and did it all reliably and without a hitch,” said Overby. “We really appreciated his ‘all hands on deck’ mentality.”
Overby gave inaugural Emerging Leaders Program high praise and is bullish on the current and future impact it is having and will have on both the students and CBC.
“This pilot project from CBC and Leadership Triangle was a great idea and it seems to have gone really well so far,” said Overby. “The students get the real-world work experience as well as hands-on training and guidance from Leadership Triangle – not to mention a paycheck! By partnering in this way, this program has given us a direct injection of energetic young people into our halls and buildings that have made an immediate impact. I have a feeling a number of these interns will be CBC employees one day.”
Check out the previous Emerging Leaders Profiles: