Western Adventures - Tori Soat

Totally cliché of me to say, yet one hundred percent true, is my utter disbelief that I am a week away from heading back to Iowa. Cue cliché: time flies when you’re having the time of your life. This summer has been one magnificent adventure compiled into two very short months. It is impossible to explain over phone call or email to my friends and family how beautiful the mountains are, how loud the street outside our apartment is, how hilarious my work environment is (Comedy Works, obviously), or just how hard it still is to run outside and breathe adequately at the same time. I’ve truly had the time of my life this summer, for an incessant amount of reasons.

My adventure entitled ‘Wartburg West Summer 2014’ has taken me to some wild places and introduced me to some irreplaceable people. I’ve summited mountains, feasted at some of the finest restaurants (including VooDoo Doughnuts), seen cultures unlike anything in Iowa, watched fireworks from the rooftop, witnessed a MLB game, made some amazing friends, and gained a broad range of knowledge from my supervisor at Comedy Works. Denver is unlike any city I’ve ever been to. The city is full of busy parks to fulfill all of my outdoorsy/running needs and is also located not too far outside of the mountains to satisfy any hiking urge I have ever had. I first enjoyed the mountains in Estes Park, Colorado, and will never forget the views I experienced in Rocky Mountain National Park. I also have been to Red Rocks for workouts, hikes, and films. I once ventured to Ft. Collins for more hiking and my first taste of sushi with friends. My summer has been full of nothing short of pure awesomeness; I even got to see country superstar, Jake Owen, at the Greely Stampede.

I can’t believe it’s practically over. I have to say goodbye to my family of fellow interns at Comedy Works and my boss who is actually a glorified mentor of mine; as well as try to depart from the greatest city I have ever known and my love, the Rocky Mountains. It’s going to be a bittersweet last week here at Wartburg West. The knowledge I’ve gained at my internship, combined with the experiences I’ve had while living life in Denver have surmounted any summer I’ve previously had, and no amount of pictures or words will ever be able to do it justice.

It's More Than Just an Internship - Taylor Oswald

I can’t believe our time spent here in Denver is over in just a week! I have been interning at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Denver and it has been a blast. After a week spent in Denver and at the House I knew I was doing the right thing. Some of my tasks over the summer at the House consist of planning events, writing thanks yours, attending meetings, receiving/writing sponsorship, organizing camp information, and much more. I have enjoyed every second being out here in Denver and I will be sad to leave.  More than anything I think being out in Denver and having such a great internship it has taught me a lot about myself. This Wartburg West experience has allowed me to expand in so many areas and has taught me so much about myself that I never knew.

Wartburg West summers allow you so much free time on your weekends and days off. I spent most of my time doing outdoor activities. I have been hiking in multiple places such as, Estes, Breckenridge, Red Rocks, Garden of Gods, and little state parks. I also enjoy walking around to all the little boutiques, shops, and restaurants around the area. If you are here in the summer I recommend white water rafting, it’s a blast! There are so many wonderful free events I have taken advantage of. What has made this place great is you are always bumping into people that know someone from Iowa. There are always stories being told.

Wartburg West is such a great opportunity to find your true self and do things you would have never dreamed of doing! 

In Denver Once Again - Nicole Mittelstadt

I am so happy to be back in Denver! I participated in the Wartburg West program a couple years ago as a sophomore, and I loved it so much that I decided to return.  It has been a totally different experience.  We live in different apartments in a different part of the city, I have a much different internship, and I have much more time to do exploring since I'm not taking any classes.  I am having such a great time; it is going to be very difficult to have to go back to Waverly for another year!

I am also the the Community Advisor and Hospitality Coordinator for the term.  This basically means that that I help plan events for the students, make sure everyone is safe, keep track of guests, and be the go-to person if anything happens.  I have really enjoyed my experience in the position so far.  There is so much to do out here that I never have trouble finding activities, events, or festivals.  I try to plan a potluck every other week where we get together as a big group, eat great food, and chat about our experiences.  We have a great group for the summer. Everyone is staying busy and always doing something exciting.

This summer I am interning at a marketing research company called iModerate.  They have one-on-one online conversations with consumers to collect qualitative data.  They get deeper insights by actually talking directly with consumers rather than getting flat information from a survey. They have some really big clients including McDonald's, John Deere, Whirlpool, Kraft, and many others.  I have gotten the opportunity to sit in on several meetings with clients throughout the process. I really enjoy reading the final reports to get a greater understanding about how these conversations influence what the client does.  I've been able to rotate around different departments in the company so I have gained a wider understanding about the marketing research industry and how I can fit in. I am very interested in working in marketing research after graduation. 

I have kept myself very busy this summer.  I attend a free yoga class in Civic Center Park every Monday, run a 5K with a running club every Tuesday, hiked multiple trails, checked out a couple museums, attended a symphony concert, explored downtown, watched a parade, gone to some festivals, toured a candy factory and the Coors Brewery, and gone to two Rockies games just to mention a few.  I have made many friends and many memories.  This is a summer I will never forget. 

I haven't been keeping my own blog this summer, but when I was in Denver as a sophomore I blogged a couple times a week.  If you are interested in learning more about me and my other Denver opportunities, check out my blog about the Wartburg West Sophomore Experience. (http://wartburgwestsophomores.blogspot.com/)

#MileHighAdventures - Mollie Emerson

Just about to the 3/4th way done point! It’s an exciting but scary thought.  I’m out at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU), located downtown on the Auraria Campus.  Being able to work in the admissions office with the Transfer Team has been an absolute joy! There are 6 of us that work really close together, and it's like a mini family.  I get told on a daily basis now that I’m not allowed to go back to Iowa at the end of the summer, which I will take as a good thing! They always joke that I can “transfer myself in” since I help students from other schools transfer all their classes into MSU. Even though I am a music major, I could definitely see myself in an office like this at some point in my life.  It’s been a fantastic environment to be in.  It’s also been fun to make lists of the similarities and differences between Wartburg and MSU!

I can’t say I’ve had a whole lot of down time here! We are always looking for new things to go explore and do.  I would say that my favorite activity so far is actually all the hiking in the mountains we’ve done.  That’s not something you get to do a lot in Iowa. I’ve had my fair share of falls (totally worth the battle scars) and gotten some crazy tan lines, but the view from the top/end point are what it’s all for.  A few of us joined a running club, so we enjoy our weekly 5k’s and free pasta! Other than that, we’ve attended a lot of festivals and fairs, along with baseball games and doing all the normal touristy things. I’ve definitely loved the weather out here, and my hair is very appreciative of the lower humidity rates.  

I have been so blessed to be able to have taken part in this program.  Before I came to Wartburg, I never would have dreamed to have an internship in a huge city, never the less in Denver.  I encourage any and all students to come out here if they have the chance.  It truly has been a once in a lifetime experience for me, coming from a small town.  Maybe down the road, I’ll come out here for good. But I will say, I never thought I’d have the chance to literally stand on top of the world (or a mountain) with my best friends.  It’s been absolutely wonderful :)

If you want to know a little more about what we’ve been up to on a more personal level, check out my blog for more details and pictures! www.molliesmilestones.blogspot.com

We're Halfway There - Liz Heying

First of all, I can't believe that my summer at Wartburg West is halfway over! My placement at Denver Parks & Recreation has been great. I have been working as a public relations intern and gaining a lot of new skills. These skills include designing, writing and event planning. I enjoy working here because it gives me insight into the beautiful parks and facilities that Denver offers, many of which the other Wartburg West students and I use on a daily basis and my supervisor and coworkers are very nice and helpful. I'm looking forward to attending some city council meetings and observing the process of moving new projects forward. 

When I haven't been interning, I think that I have taken full advantage of all the adventures that Colorado has to offer. I've been to the top of Mt. Evans (14,265 feet!), white water rafted down Clear Creek and even mustered enough courage to go cliff jumping! I don't think that there's been a day that I haven't come home exhausted from the day's activities. Even in Denver, just blocks from our apartments, you are never bored with the 16th Mall and the different festivals that take place almost every weekend. What makes these adventures even better are the people I get to spend them with. The friendships I've made here are irreplaceable... I don't think I've ever laughed as hard and as much as I have this summer.   

It's safe to say that I'll be bummed when it comes time head back to Iowa... but who knows I could end up back out here after graduation in May-- I'll admit to doing a little apartment hunting while I've been here.  :)

Newborns and New Experiences - Kayla Heslin

My internship has been good so far! I am placed at Denver Health. I’m splitting my time between the newborn Intensive care nursery, the mom/baby area and the Pediatric Emergency Room. I am really enjoying getting to experience the different atmospheres and see how each area runs a little bit differently.

While I am not working, I have been enjoying Denver and the surrounding areas. A group of us have started to go to yoga and boot camp in Civic Center Park, which is right in front of the Capital. It has been awesome to experience this opportunity that the city of Denver puts on. Every weekend, I have been exploring somewhere new. Being a part of Wartburg West is awesome! It gives us a new area to explore and experience the culture. 

Denver: Tourist Destination - Katie Wyman

So far I have been very busy enjoying my internship. My placement is at Visit Denver so I work on Travel Public Relations, anything from marketing to tourists or contacting writers to write about attractions in Denver. The first week I was here we did a travel writer reception and invited writers to come see the Buffalo Bill Museum, go on a hike, and see a new exhibit opening up in a local art gallery. It was so much fun getting to be out and about doing these activities and also meeting so many new people from different areas. Another part of my internship is working with local companies, restaurants and attractions as members, just meaning that Visit Denver will promote them when marketing to visitors. A local Scooter Tour company wants to be a member of visit Denver so last week I got to go on a ScooTour with some other people from out office and get a feel for this new and fun way tourists can see Denver, it was so much fun! Other than that I have helped with putting on a press conference, toured a new restaurant in Denver and put together an itinerary for writers coming to town next month.

Being part of Wartburg West has been an amazing experience and being in Denver in the summer has been a blast! We have done some hiking, gone to different festivals and Sunday we went to Riverfest, which has probably been my favorite festival and got to go tubing, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding all for free! It was an awesome afternoon and just one other way to enjoy yourself in Denver!