Party planning, playing piano, and Durham's Dragon's Den

 

17 August 2022

 

Every year we welcome talented interns to our business – some new faces, some familiar.

 

Storm Rothwell is an alumni intern. She joined the programme for the first time in 2020. Each year she’s had the opportunity to expand on the skills she’s learned previously.

 

Check out her interview below to find out her experiences so far, and what she gets up to while studying at university.

 

 

Where are you at in your studies?

I just finished my second year studying politics, philosophy, and economics at Durham University. In September I’ll be starting my final year.

 

What’s your role and what are your responsibilities at Saltgate?

This year I’m working in payments so I’m involved with paying the invoices that come through the team.

 

What are your hobbies or what do you do for fun?

I mostly get involved with my university’s societies. I’m on the planning committee for fresher’s week, and I’m Head of Ball. This means choosing venues, events, entertainment, and food for student events – it’s a lot of meetings and admin, but I love the social side of working on committees.

 

I also run an outreach project in the northeast that encourages year-10 students to raise their aspirations for their education and careers.

 

It’s a big commitment, but I get to run sessions with the students doing activities such as colouring, baking, and Dragon’s Den challenges which they wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to do. It’s great because there’s so many volunteers, so I basically get to hang out with my friends once a week!

 

What did you want to be when you were younger?

I wanted to be a journalist or an author, but since I didn’t take English A-level, I don’t think that will be happening anytime soon…

 

Do you have a hidden talent?

I’ve played saxophone and piano since I was 10, but I’m always too nervous to play in front of people – even my family! So I would say it’s my hidden talent.

 

What’s your favourite part of your role?

I love how satisfying the payments process is – since you create the payment packs and payments yourself, you get to see the process through start-to-end. When there’s a lot of invoices in one pack it’s especially nice to send it off and tick it off the list.

 

What’s been the best experience you’ve had as an intern at Saltgate?

Since my first internship at Saltgate was in 2020, it’s been great to get into the office this year and chat to people face-to-face instead of just online.

 

What’s been the most surprising thing?

How quickly I’ve got used to the office and the work – I was so nervous on my first day. But it’s only been two weeks and I’m already used to the routine, working with my team, and chatting to new people.

 

What advice would you give a student considering an internship?

Say yes to everything – even if it means having a busy schedule. It’s so worth it to look back and see how much you’ve learned.

 

What’s your favourite part of Saltgate culture?

I love Saltgate’s dedication to the environment and giving back to the community – they support so many individual projects. It’s also so nice to see staff doing charity challenges and events themselves and sharing it within the company.