After graduation, Gabrielle Evans hopes to work as a corporate event planner for a startup or marketing firm.

Get to know Gabrielle

  • Major: Event management, hospitality management
  • Minor: Culinary food science
  • Class: Senior
  • Hometown: Iowa Falls, Iowa (Hardin County)
  • Career goal: Plan corporate events for startup or marketing firm
  • Clubs/activities: Event Management Club, CHS Council, CHS Ambassadors, teaching assistant, undergraduate research assistant
  • Awards/honors: Cardinal Court, Dean’s list
  • Favorite place on campus: Basement of MacKay Hall or steps outside Curtiss Hall
  • Most influential ISU mentors: Eric Brown and Ken Tsai
  • Favorite class: HSPM 487, Fine Dining Management
  • Why Iowa State: Family ties and good event management program

Gabrielle Evans completes extensive amounts of internship experience, prepares for future

When it comes to working with people, experience is key. Now a senior in event management and hospitality management, with a minor in culinary food science, Gabrielle Evans has taken a deep dive into the world of internships to better prepare for her career as an industry professional.

Early in her college career, Gabrielle worked as a food manager intern at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa. This summer experience opened her eyes to the food industry and inspired her to work as an undergraduate research assistant under assistant professors Eric Olson and EunHa Jeong the following school year. Their research focus was on using advertisements to reduce food waste at conventions and events.

“One thing I’m really wanting to do moving forward is to focus on sustainability,” Gabrielle said. “I like to see that in companies that I apply for.”

In addition to participating in research, Gabrielle has stayed involved in many ways on campus, including the Event Management Club and ISU Alumni Center; both entities provided her with internship and networking experiences.

“The clubs I was in introduced me to some of my internship opportunities, and that pointed me where I want to go after school,” Gabrielle said.

As a member of the Event Management Club, Gabrielle got the opportunity to work as an event marketing intern for Dwolla, an e-commerce company based in Des Moines, Iowa. It was her involvement there that first attracted her to startup companies. 

“I like the atmosphere, and I like that you can grow so easily [in a startup company], ” Gabrielle said. “Everybody is in the same boat, and they’re really just excited about the company—everybody wants to see the company succeed.”

Throughout her college experience, Gabrielle also held a consistent position at Prairie Moon Winery—and was quickly promoted from intern to manager due to her proficiency. This internship-turned-job helped prepare her for a future career in event planning.

“I learned a lot,” Gabrielle said. “I took over and learned from the ground up just by doing it.”

After her junior year, Gabrielle worked virtually for WPS Health Solutions, a health insurer located in Wisconsin. Her main focus was promoting community events and encouraging employees to get excited about virtual events; she even implemented a successful incentive program for employees to attend virtual events.

“Overall, being flexible was the one thing [I] definitely had to learn,” Gabrielle said. “I think it’ll be super helpful moving forward because you just never know what is going to happen.”