Meet Rachel!

This summer we took on our first Intern, so we thought we would give her a grilling so you could all learn more about her.

1. Name
Rachel Kent

2. Age
20

3. What are you doing at StairSteady?
Im on a summer internship with StairSteady. I started at the end of June and Im working until September (taking full advantage of nice long university holidays!) I met Ruth whilst taking part in a competition at the University of Sheffield called ‘The Intern’. Basically it was similar to The Apprentice but on a much smaller scale! Ruth was one of the judges in the penultimate round.

4. Why did you want to do an internship at StairSteady?
Because StairSteady is a small company I knew that I would not just be making cups of tea(!) and that I would be taking an active role in helping the company progress. Also, unlike with larger companies and their internships, I knew I would be able to discover all the different elements and challenges that a business faces rather than staying in a particular department. This has definately happened already! In my first week I went from meeting potential customers to actually being in the factory heping make the product!

5. What do you want to get out of it?
My main aim is to increase my knowledge of how a business runs on a daily basis and their future projections. I am also keen to work on my own project within StairSteady, focussing on fixed/variable costs and the impact on StairSteady while hopefully helping Ruth and the team!

6. What are your strengths?
I would say that my strengths lie in my social skills! I would like to think that I am easy to get along with and truelly believe that ‘two heads are better than one’. I am also very hard working and do not like to leave a job unfinished (this might also be incase I forget the task the following day!).

7. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years time I will (hopefully!) have completed a degree and be well underway in my career. I am not sure what I want to go into yet, but ideally I would like to work for a charity. In 10 years time I would also like to be on my way to owning a house and possibly have a family.

8. How would your friends describe you?
I would like to think that they would describe me as caring and considerate and generally just a good friend!


9. Describe yourself in three words
Honest, Lively, Inquisitive

10. Do you like to go to the gym? (queation courtesy of Eamonn Hunt)
I would like to say yes but, no! Although my house for my 3rd and final year at university is very close to the gym and so I have no excuse not to join up in September!

11. What do you do in your spare time
I love spending time with my friends, whatever we are doing. Particularly like meeting up with my friends from home in the holidays as I dont get to see them as much as I would like in the term time. Im a member of Sheffield badminton club and like to play regularly (despite being pretty appauling!). I also like to go clubbing and to watch bands. Oh and of course, shopping!

12. What is your favourite thing about Sheffield?
Coming from a village, I love the variety of people in Sheffield and the ‘buzz’ of a city but also Sheffield seems to have the friendliness of a town or village. In my second year I lived very close to the centre of Sheffield and I enjoyed having so many things to go and see 2 minutes from my doorstep.

13. Do you like cheese? Which ones? (queation courtesy of Eamonn Hunt)
Haha! I like most ‘normal’ cheeses but I stay well clear of any blue cheese! My favourite is mature cheddar; melted cheese makes a meal!

14. Favourite Film
That’s a tough one! It would have to be between The Holiday, Pride and Prejudice and (embarrassingly) Save The Last Dance.

15. Favourite food
King prawns!

16. Favourite Band
I like a few, and it often changes but I would have to say Kings of Leon. I saw them play last year at a festival in Ireland called ‘Oxegen’ and they were unbelievable. Despite terrential rain and strong winds they still made the atmosphere amazing.

17. Favourite Shop
Topshop! Or if my bank balance is a little tight, New Look and Primark.

18. Favourite place
Edinburgh. Id really like to live there for a while when I’m older.

19. Favourite Sweets
Skittles

20. Tell us something that we would never think about you.
Another tough one! You would probably never think that I would be the only person in the whole of Sheffield university doing my course, Economics and Social Policy. Despite common questioning, this doesn’t mean that I have one-to-one lecturing as it’s dual honours, meaning i sit in Economic and then Social Policy/Sociology lectures.

Please follow me on twitter @rach_kent and hopefully we will meet soon :)