By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau
It seemed like destiny when Grand Canyon University Honors College senior Luke Elliott still managed to get an internship with Avnet after the position he had applied for didn’t work out. Then, several months into his internship, he was given another form of reassurance that he was exactly where he was meant to be when he and a co-worker earned the Salesforce Most Innovative Team award.
Five teams gathered at Scottsdale’s Top Golf to brainstorm, design and create an app through Salesforce, and although he had no prior experience or background in creating apps and was the youngest person there, Elliott and Jackie Carley still were named the winners.
“I was pretty shocked because there were a lot of actually competitive teams there,” Elliott said. “There were a lot of teams that had people that were kind of dedicated to Salesforce, a lot of people who had a lot of experience, a lot of different backgrounds in coding, app development and sale.”
Elliott wasn't planning to attend the competition, but his boss asked him to accompany him because he thought it would be a good learning opportunity. A day later, Elliott learned he would be attending alone, and he didn't know until he got to the event that he'd be working with Carley, whom he didn't know.
The pair took home a trophy and an Amazon Echo Dot as well as praise and a new accolade to add to their resumés.
“It definitely solidified myself as an asset to Avnet,” he said. “It’s definitely a good reinforcement and kind of solidification that I’m doing well and this is where I belong.”
Although it wasn’t the original position he applied for with Avnet, Elliott believes the internship he received was “perfect” for him. It was so ideal, in fact, that he hoped to continue working there during the academic year.
Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or [email protected].
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