My Internship Experience with The Right Place & Tech Week Grand Rapids

Written by:Izzy Zdanowski, 2026 Tech Week GR Marketing Intern

Over the past 6 months, I had the opportunity to be the Tech Week Marketing and Communications Intern at The Right Place (RPI), and it was one of the most valuable professional experiences that I have ever had. From the people to the projects, I have never enjoyed myself at work more!

Before joining RPI, I had no clue what it meant to be an economic development nonprofit, and I was a little intimidated going into it because of my lack of knowledge. Luckily, within the first two weeks I had a firm grasp of what economic development for the greater Grand Rapids region means and what every department at RPI did to contribute to overall organizational goals. I met with every team personally to learn more about what they each worked on specifically, which provided me with a new way to look at RPI and how it operated.

From the moment I walked through the doors, I felt immediately welcomed, like people were truly interested in what I could bring to the table. Starting a new position at any point in a career can be intimidating, but entering your first ever professional environment can be even scarier. Thankfully, the team at RPI values and respects every individual, whether you are the new intern or the CEO.

Experience as The First Tech Week Intern

Before joining the marketing team, RPI had never had an intern specifically assigned to Tech Week GR, so I got the unique opportunity to step into a brand-new position and tailor the role to my talents and skills while also getting out of my comfort zone by using new tools and trying new things. I was surprised with the amount of creative liberty I was given right from the start, as my only rule was to keep the Tech Week brand and voice alive and well, but I had so many opportunities to implement new ideas and fresh content.

More specifically, through this position I got full hands-on experience with content creation, copywriting, website and social media management, and all aspects of planning a large-scale event series. When Tech Week 2026 finally showed up after a long summer of preparing for it, it became one of the most rewarding professional experiences I've ever had. With over 160 events hosted and 15,000+ attendees, I got to see the team's work show up right in front of me, and hearing all the good things throughout the week made it even better.

Grand Rapids Region

Before working in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, I never knew much about it, and I definitely didn't know how much charm there is to be found within the city. I lived my whole life on the East side of Michigan, so starting a job in the downtown of a city I had never been in was nerve-wracking. But spending my summer in Grand Rapids was the best choice I ever made, and it's made me so appreciative for such a beautiful city, that I never want to leave.

Through Tech Week, I got to see firsthand how community members and professionals come together to educate each other and push the conversation of tech in the region forward. It was so great to be able to watch passionate Grand Rapids residents and non-residents alike support developing tech in the region but also support each other.

Takeaways

As my internship sadly comes to an end, I'm lucky to be able to reflect on my months at such a special organization. The Right Place has been such a great place to grow and learn, whether it was the connections I made or tasks I worked on. I'm happy to say that by leaving RPI I feel confident in my skills and ability to enter the workforce as a young professional.

A huge thank you to my boss, Allyssa Murphy, and the whole marcom team who provided me with the tools to succeed from the very beginning and taught me new things throughout the experience. Overall, my favorite thing I will always remember from The Right Place is the people, as the support I felt from coworkers from every team in the office was so strong and helpful in keeping me motivated and confident in myself.