A Commitment to Nurture

For over 22 years, our commitment at The VAN LEUVEN Company has been to support efforts to heal, nurture, enrich, and sustain the world. We believe that this is not a singular effort or area of our business model, but rather an all-encompassing philosophy that influences every aspect of our business and the decisions we make. 

From partnering with clients who share in these same efforts to minimizing our company’s own environmental impact, we take pride in this commitment to bettering the world we live in for generations to come. Because we know that the next generation of our workforce will be responsible for taking up this mantle, we believe that it is of the utmost importance to nurture future workers and prepare them for their entry into the workforce. 

How Does VLC Nurture Future Professionals? 

At The VAN LEUVEN Company, our care for putting people first starts right here at home—in our own company. The care that we show to our own employees is the foundation for the quality customer service and VLC TLC that the members of The VAN LEUVEN Company share with our clients. At VLC, we place importance on making sure that each member of our VLC Family feels respected, valued, and listened to equally. We believe that we are stronger, more creative, and more capable when we work together to achieve. This very belief is also the foundation for our internship program at The VAN LEUVEN Company. 

Reflections on Internships with The VAN LEUVEN Company

At VLC, we are privileged and grateful for any opportunity to contribute to the professional development of a young worker, wherever they may choose to go after they complete their internship with us. Not all internships are meant to last forever, and we feel honored to be a part of so many young professionals’ journeys. On occasion, however, some of our interns find their way back to us and become full-time members of our VLC Team. 

Hope Kapelski, current Account Manager at VLC, is a former intern at our company who has become a full-time employee with us. We sat down with her to learn about her internship-to-employment experience in this blog feature. Read on to learn more about her differing roles between these experiences, how her internship impacted her eventual move into the workforce, and advice for those pursuing internship opportunities now. 

When did you begin your internship at VLC? When did you become a full-time employee? 

Hope Kapelski: “I joined the VLC team as an intern in summer of 2023, and loved the experience so much that I returned for a second internship over the summer of 2024! Even though I had looked into a variety of internship options, The VAN LEUVEN Company’s commitment to ‘VLC TLC’ made them stand out. Looking back, I’m so glad I chose a company that was always open and welcoming, as I was not only equipped with real world skills and experiences, but I also felt like I was a part of a family. I returned to the VLC Team as a full-time employee in February of 2025, shortly after my graduation from Saint Louis University, and I’m so happy to be back with the team!”

As an intern at VLC, what did your role encompass? What did a typical day look like for you? 

Hope: “Every day at VLC looked a little different, but that’s what made me love my role so much. I worked heavily with our design team, creating content for clients and our internal brand to be posted across a variety of platforms. I also assisted with client account management, which meant attending meetings with clients from across the nation, assisting in strategy and brainstorming sessions, creating branded content, copywriting, and presenting industry research to help their brands continue to grow.”

Were there any projects that you supported as an intern that stand out? Are there any that were challenging or that helped you learn more about the field? 

Hope: “One of my favorite projects I worked on was for a client in the Hemp animal bedding industry. I traveled to Knoxville, TN, in the summer of 2023 with the team to assist with this client’s product and lifestyle photoshoot, and it was very interesting to see the behind-the-scenes of product photography. Fast-forward to the summer of 2024, and I was managing this client’s account, creating monthly content for them using the product and lifestyle photos from the photoshoot I sat in on. It was a full circle moment, and definitely sticks out as a top VLC internship memory.” 

How did your internship help you develop professionally, both in terms of technical skills and soft skills?

Hope: “Interning with VLC truly taught me almost everything I know about marketing. From a technical aspect, I gained invaluable hands-on experience in various aspects of marketing, from content creation and graphic design to campaign strategy and digital analytics. Working closely with the design team allowed me to refine my eye for detail, improve my proficiency with design software, and understand the importance of branding. Their guidance, along with constructive feedback, helped me become a much stronger designer, even though I am still learning from them every day! 

My time with VLC also taught me how to think more strategically when approaching marketing projects and helped me to become a more effective communicator, whether it was through written content, client interactions, or internal collaboration with the VLC Team. Additionally, I developed a structured creative process that works for me, which has been extremely helpful during my transition into a full-time role.”

Do you feel that the experience gained interning with VLC adequately prepared you to step into a full-time role with confidence?

Hope: “Yes, without a doubt. The exposure to clients, the team, and the wide variety of projects I worked on prepared me for anything that could come my way. Most importantly, my internship gave me the confidence to work with clients across the country and to understand their unique needs. Working with a team that was open and welcoming made me feel more confident in myself and my work. I knew it was OK to make mistakes since I was learning and that there was always someone I could turn to if I had a question.”

Looking back, what advice would you give to those seeking an internship or working as an intern now? 

Hope: “My biggest piece of advice to those interning right now is to try as many different things as you can during your internship! Completing a variety of projects will truly allow you to understand the industry, and will help you identify what you’re passionate about and would like to pursue post-graduation. One thing I really loved about VLC is the wide variety of projects I worked on, from completing industry research, to developing social media campaigns, to client management, to running our internal social media platforms; my managers ensured I touched almost every aspect of the business, which allowed me to identify what I enjoyed, and helped shape my role and responsibilities as a now full-time employee at VLC.”

Nurturing the Next Generation of Workers at The VAN LEUVEN Company

At The VAN LEUVEN Company, our interns are respected, valued, and incorporated members of our company—not coffee runners. We believe in the capability of the next generation, and we know that, if given a place at the table, our interns can make us stronger, more creative, and more capable, just like any other employee. We appreciate the unique perspectives that our interns bring to us, and we view these internships as an opportunity and a privilege to both nurture the next generation of the workforce and learn a thing or two ourselves. 

Learn more about internship opportunities at The VAN LEUVEN Company by contacting us today.