Pictured, from left are Grace College IMPACT Award nominees Zachary Hill, Julie Kapocius, Jocelyn Chupp, Brad Grennier, Jessica Vandenboom and Zachary Schori.

WINONA LAKE — Ten Grace College students were nominated for the 2019 Indiana Intern IMPACT Award.

Nominations were made by internship employees across the state to recognize the excellent work ethic, leadership skills and effectiveness of student interns in a variety of sectors. The competition is held annually by Indiana INTERNnet, a statewide resource for internship opportunities managed by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

Grace College students comprised 20 percent of all college nominees for the IMPACT Award this year. DeeAnna Muraski, associate director of internships at Grace College, said she was most proud of this fact, as well as the students’ individual accomplishments.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with our students’ performance on the job and the recognition from their supervisors through the nomination process,” said Muraski.

Grace College IMPACT Award nominees were Jocelyn Chupp, Flavia Faria, Brad Grennier, Zachary Hill, Walker Hobbs, Julia Kapocius, Brennan Murray, Mariah Roman, Zachary Schori and Jessica Vandenboom.

Many of the nominees attended the 13th annual IMPACT Awards luncheon on Feb. 26 at the Ritz Charles Ballroom in Carmel. Gerry Dick of “Inside INdiana Business” was the event emcee.

One student, Flavia Faria, was unable to attend the luncheon as she is currently studying abroad in Hungary. But she said her experiences as a marketing and communications intern for CRH Americas will be “invaluable” in her career. Faria reflected on the variety of tasks she completed while interning, including writing, photography, videography and graphic design.

“Shadowing my boss and working with senior leadership provided insight into the business world that I couldn’t get in the classroom,” Faria said.

Another nominee, Brennan Murray, commented that before interning in Representative Jim Banks’ Fort Wayne office, he “understood governance as something that occurred just inside illustrious capitol buildings.” But after his internship experience, Murray had a completely different view.

“My internship in Rep. Banks’ modest district office helped me recognize my desire to serve my community and ultimately make public service my profession,” said Murray.

After graduating from Grace in December, Murray accepted an Indiana State Senate internship. He currently assists Senators Justin Busch and Jim Buck at the Statehouse in Indianapolis.