When you think of March, does your mind wander to basketball and brackets? The start of a new season and the dreaded allergies that come with it? Or, maybe you think about National Nutrition Month. That’s where the “Powered by Plants Challenge” comes in!
My name is Madison Sanborn and I am a marketing intern for Chartwells at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse (UWL). I had the opportunity to combine wellness, innovation, and nutrition into a fun challenge for students across the nation. In early November, Christy Ihrke, the Marketing Manager for Chartwells at UWL, tasked me with researching food holidays for the spring semester as a way to incorporate creative, new ideas to campus here in La Crosse. When I learned that March was National Nutrition Month, I thought it would be fun to create a nutrition challenge to combine wellness, innovation, and dining. It was important for me to incorporate a variety of challenges that touched on both physical and mental health while also maintaining a focus on nutrition.
I initially expected this idea to be rolled out only at UWL, but Christy informed me in December that the calendar I created received a great deal of positive feedback at the corporate level! She asked if I was willing to share and develop the calendar and roll it out nationally to every Chartwells Higher Ed account… I happily agreed and we got to work! I had the opportunity to work with both Christy and Megan Simon, the corporate dietician to adjust and improve aspects of the calendar. After these adjustments were made, the calendar was sent to Jenny Fuga, the Chartwells graphic designer; It is now finalized and ready to roll out in March!
This internship has given me countless opportunities to gain real-world experience about the marketing industry and my involvement working on the Powered by Plants challenge is no exception. It is common, especially for young professionals, to feel that some of their ideas may be too “out there.” As we gain experience, we also gain confidence - in ourselves and our ideas. I witnessed firsthand that when you are surrounded by a good, hardworking team of people, nearly anything is possible. I gained a deeper appreciation for diverse skill sets and the team work that goes into making any idea into a reality. What began as a blank calendar and an idea that one intern thought could be too “out there” is now available for every Chartwells Higher Ed account… The Powered by Plants Challenge would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the work of many and I am thankful for everyone that contributed to this project and believed in my idea!