Gracie Gustafson, a senior at Boone High School, has earned first place in the America’s Next Great Intern contest, hosted by Rubin Education.
To earn this honor, Gustafson competed against nearly 200 high school students nationwide, showcasing exceptional communication skills crucial for internships.
As the first-place winner, Gustafson will receive a virtual job shadowing opportunity with an executive from a high-demand field. Additionally, she will receive national recognition throughout the career and technical education (CTE) community, along with a commemorative banner for display at her school. Her teachers, Ms. Lindsey Hyman and Ms. Amy Bossard, will each receive a $250 cash bonus to support their classrooms.
"I'm honored and thrilled to be named America's Next Great Intern," said Gustafson. "This experience has been incredibly valuable, and I'm excited to apply what I've learned in my future endeavors."
The demand for interns and job applicants proficient in soft skills remains a top priority across all industries. According to a 2022 survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 76% of respondents prioritize hiring individuals capable of teamwork, 73% seek strong written communication skills, and 58% value candidates who excel in verbal communication.
The competition’s guidelines were sourced from Rubin’s Emerge curriculum, a broad library of online exercises for employability skills such as email/phone etiquette, job interview preparation, LinkedIn communication, and more. Rubin provides Emerge to CTE programs nationwide.
Gustafson's performance was evaluated across five criteria: Elevator Pitch (video recording about the student’s background and interests/passions), Ethics and Leadership (written response to a challenging ethical dilemma), Team Communication (email to update a teacher or employer on the status of classwork or a project at an internship/job), Resilience & Determination (written example of a time in which the student demonstrated resilience), and Job Interview Preparation (written questions to show curiosity ahead of a mock interview conversation with either Nike, Disney or Marriott).
The contest is 100% free. All participating students receive a certificate of completion and a ready-made portfolio of their submitted contest materials.
"Gracie's accomplishment reflects the outstanding talent and dedication of our students here at Boone High School," said BCSD Superintendent Julie Trepa. "We congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to her continued success."
About Rubin:
Rubin is the leader in online instruction for employability and work readiness skills. The company, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, provides Emerge, a digital curriculum that teaches effective writing and speaking skills, to thousands of students in middle school, high school and higher education. Rubin also has a soft-skill notification tool for email writing called Propel and a career exploration video library called Aspire.
Founded in 2017 by Danny Rubin, a former CBS television news reporter and consultant to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rubin teaches students nationwide critical lessons for email/phone etiquette, networking, team communication, leadership communication, and more. Our motto: “Write well, open doors!”