Brody Foster is putting his business studies to work this semester.
The Detroit Lakes High School (DLHS) senior is taking full advantage of his school’s work-based learning (WBL) program to prepare himself for college and a career. He’s interning at two different local businesses this semester: as an administrative assistant intern at the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce and as a marketing intern at Nature’s Embrace Soap Shop.
A driven student with a passion for business, entrepreneurship, and building community, Foster serves as the regional president for the student organization Business Professionals of America (BPA) and has an 11-page business plan for the resort he intends to own after finishing college. In the meantime, he’s earning both academic credit and valuable hands-on business experience through the two internships.
“I’m mostly taking business classes this year, along with taking these internships,” Foster says. “They are definitely my favorite classes, and I get to do them during school hours.”
Foster matched with both businesses through Compass, which helps support DLHS’s extensive WBL program, enabling students to earn academic credit while working at local businesses. He was immediately drawn to both opportunities.
Connecting with other businesses
Working for the Chamber enables Foster to connect with a variety of other companies.
“I’ve always liked business-to-business relationships, and I wanted to work with other businesses. That comes with the Chamber,” Foster says. “It’s a perfect match so far. The internship is giving me a lot of great experience.”
Adding a project-based internship was an easy decision for the Chamber. President Jackie Buboltz says her team realized they needed assistance with a few projects, such as updating the member database, streamlining their social media strategy, and having some extra help with hospitality at the front desk. She added the opportunity to Compass and was matched with Foster, who has been an excellent fit.
“He’s so willing to take on whatever we give him for a project, and he brings a lot of skills to the internship,” Buboltz says. “It’s allowed us to think about engaging high school students differently because of what he already brings to the table.”
As comfortable creating spreadsheets as he is updating social media accounts, Foster is learning to juggle a variety of responsibilities at the Chamber, as well as how to prioritize his tasks, work as part of a team, and provide good customer service. From creating advertisements to working at the front desk and taking calls from business owners, he’s building the skills he’s learned about in his business classes.
“I’m definitely learning more about communication and teamwork,” he says. “I’m communicating with one or two people on every project and getting feedback.”
Buboltz is thrilled with his personable customer service, social media experience, Canva design skills, and flexibility among projects.
“Brody is really good at bringing new ideas, eager and willing to take on anything, and happy to be gaining exposure to the community,” she says. “Hopefully, just being at the Chamber, he’s making those connections.”
Detroit Lakes High School senior Brody Foster is working as a marketing intern for Heidi Renney at her Nature’s Embrace Soap Company. He helps manage the store’s social media accounts, creates reels and other short video content, updates the website, and more.
Gaining hands-on marketing experience
At Nature’s Embrace Soap Company, Foster serves as a marketing intern for owner and soap maker Heidi Renney. The Detroit Lakes small business produces and sells eco-friendly, premium quality, mostly vegan bar soaps. It also sells a variety of other eco-friendly products, including skincare, essential oils, haircare, and baby and kids items.
Foster has worked as a retail associate at the shop for a year, but expanded his role into marketing with a formal internship this fall. He helps manage the store’s social media accounts, creates reels and other short video content, updates the website, provides retail assistance as needed, and works on other business- and marketing-related tasks. He was also instrumental in helping Nature’s Embrace implement a wholesale website for other physical stores to purchase inventory.
He’s a creative, dedicated worker who also radiates joy, says Renney.
“Brody brings a lightheartedness to the shop,” she says. “He truly is a gift and has taught me to lighten up, just by being him.”
Foster loves the variety of work Nature’s Embrace, how different every day can be, and the ability to balance two very different internships that are both preparing him for his future.
“My Chamber internship is a bit more deskwork,” Foster says. “I still do a little bit of that here, but it’s a lot more filming and hands-on tasks. They are both pretty different environments, and the tasks I do at each add some variety to my weeks.”
Matching with WBL opportunities in Compass
Foster started the semester by taking two weeks of classroom WBL preparation with DLHS WBL Coordinator Vern Schnathorst. The class prepared students for their experiences by reviewing workplace etiquette, soft skills, expectations, and more. The students also used Compass to help find their WBL experiences.
“Compass was extremely easy to use,” he says. “I was able to find opportunities and apply. I also track my time through Compass for my internships.”
After matching with his businesses and setting up his weekday work schedule around his classes, Foster got right to work in his internships and continues to receive support from Schnathorst as needed.
Buboltz says opportunities like this internship benefit both the student and the business.
“Yes, you’re giving the student an opportunity, but you’re also gaining the knowledge and experience of that student,” she says. “Working with Foster helps us better understand this generation coming out of high school – what motivates them, the best ways to communicate with them, and how to engage them. I would encourage every business to think about offering an experience like this.”
Renney agrees.
“I believe it’s a privilege to be able to influence and be influenced by all generations,” she says. “Relationships of all ages and stages build trust, growth, and community.”
Foster encourages other high school students to seek out opportunities like internships. He recommends looking for experiences in Compass, getting out in the community, and trying work-based learning.
“Don’t hold yourself back,” he says. “Even if it’s an internship at a larger company, apply for it. This is your time to explore, learn, and see what you want to do. Take this opportunity to learn about yourself and your skills.”
For more information about work-based learning, including how Compass can help support it at your school or company, contact us.