Waking up to text messages from a supervisor in Spain with a six-hour time difference became part of Kaitlyn Wehner’s daily routine this past summer as an intern for Youlosophy, which produces self-help booklets from its headquarters in Barcelona, Spain.

Wehner, a Spanish senior, worked remotely for Youlosophy after applying with the Global Remote Internship Program through the College of Arts & Letter’s Excel Network.

The Global Remote Internship Program offers virtual internships with international companies and organizations, through which students gain communication, collaboration, and performance skills in the online world. With the help of her Spanish advisor, Jennifer Glansler, and some interview preparation, Wehner secured her internship with Youlosophy.

During the internship, she spent most of her time editing the company’s booklets, which in turn helped her view and dissect her own approach to editing and writing. One project she worked on was the “Go Vegan” booklet where she pushed beyond her own perspective and sought help from others.

“I was running out of ideas because I’m not vegan, so I thought the best thing to do was to ask someone who is vegan,” Wehner said.

The way that you grow is by meeting different people and then understanding their history. Being able to find that middle ground and understanding where they come from, that’s the thing that really bonds people.

Kaitlyn Wehner

While working with the company’s founders, who pushed her to look further and improve upon the booklet, Wehner was inspired by their leadership skills.

“I was getting their tips and I was getting to know how to lead, so if I ever want to become an entrepreneur, I now know how to treat my team so that I can get projects done,” Wehner said. “The more you know how to treat the people on your team, the better I think your success will be.”

As a Spanish major, Wehner was grateful to practice her language comprehension skills with her supervisor, and she learned some business skills from her team. The internship also helped broaden her experience working with different types of people from different cultures.

“Even though different cultures are in different areas, we still have the same issues, and we still have the same struggles,” Wehner said. “The way that you grow is by meeting different people and then understanding their history. Being able to find that middle ground and understanding where they come from, that’s the thing that really bonds people.”

Since most of her work included editing, Wehner got the chance to see if editing is a job she would enjoy in the future. The internship also helped solidify her interest in working internationally and utilizing her Spanish degree.

“Being the most open-minded that you can helps when it comes to international experience or international business,” Wehner said. “I learned that I, myself, don’t like being on my computer at the desk all day. I would much rather be in person, anything to be able to read people’s interactions. In the long run, I would like to do international [work], because I want to be able to practice my Spanish.”

Written by Kyleigh Meyers-VanDouser