Name: Luis

Year: Junior

Major(s): Economics

Minor(s): Business Institutions program

CFS Program: Field Studies in the Modern Workplace

Hello everyone! My name is Luis Ortega and I am participating in the CFS class of Spring ’17. I am a junior studying Economics and the Business Institutions program, and I am interning at Chicago Anchors for a Strong Economy, or CASE. CASE is a nonprofit economic development organization which was started by World Business Chicago, Chicago’s own economic development organization. CASE’s mission is to help connect local Chicago businesses and suppliers with their anchor partners, which are entities that have a large amount of spending power. CASE does this by assisting these anchor partners with local purchasing, and helping the local businesses grow and develop. I have really enjoyed my time at CASE thus far! I’ve learned a lot about the economy of Chicago and it’s local neighborhood. I’ve learned of the problems that many small businesses face, and have had conversations with business owners regarding these problems, and those conversations are always extremely interesting and makes us think more about how we can help these business owners.

Another aspect of my internship that I really enjoy is the office culture. Everyone who works at CASE is very friendly and easy to have a conversation with, no matter the topic. It is also very apparent that the CASE employees really want to help the interns grow and learn, always have their best interests at heart. The work environment is also very team-oriented and dynamic, which is something that I was really looking forward to when I started working at CASE, and I continue to enjoy it today.

The class that accompanies the internship as part of the CFS program has been another great experience. Many of the readings that we discuss in class are interesting, with many of them centered about the history of work and workplace culture. Andrew Day, the instructor, is a great facilitator of discussion between the students, and it also very personable and funny. We also learn about each other’s internships and how they’re going, which I always find really helpful and interesting, as it allows me to think about my own internship experience in the context of how the other students’ experiences are. I have really enjoyed this quarter, and to any student thinking about going through the CFS program, I would highly recommend it! It has been a great experience for me, both in the class and in the workplace, and I am hoping to finish strong!