She walked around Capitol Hill with many of our country’s leaders. As an intern for U.S. Congressman Kevin Yoder, she was in charge of a variety of projects, from assisting with tours to maintaining relationships with constituents. Even in a city filled with many young interns, something set her apart. Lauren Freking was only a sophomore.

For two months, the Baker University accounting major maneuvered her way around D.C., which she described as a very young city. She was surrounded by 20,000 people somewhat like her, in internships or in the early stages of their careers. But unlike the juniors or seniors, many of whom were completing one last internship before graduation, Freking was getting an early step ahead.

“I have this really crazy drive, not really to be better than anyone else, but to amaze myself,” Freking said. “I love finding new parts of myself … if I’m smarter than I think I am, see if I can do something I’ve never done before.”

According to Business Insider, about 75 percent of students at four-year schools undertake at least one internship, a statistic that has doubled since the early 1980s.

In an article titled “Degrees Are Great, but Internships Make a Difference,” U.S. News said that a good GPA isn’t enough anymore, it’s all about the internships.

Professor of Business Lee Green agrees with this statement, saying that internships are what set students apart from one another in the professional world. In Green’s Intro to Business class, he has an “Internship of the Day” that he highlights for the class, with facts and statistics to show the probability of receiving the internship and the compensation, if any.

Although Intro to Business is a freshman-level course, Green said it’s never too early to start thinking about one’s future.

“The reason I do it that early is so that students can start thinking about it far in advance,” Green said. “If they start at the end of their junior year or beginning of their senior year, it’s almost too late.”

Through his time at Baker, Green said the biggest challenge he’s seen for students is figuring out what they want to do with their lives.

“I think there’s no better way to experience a career than to have an internship,” Green said. “It’s either a great motivator or a deciding factor against a career. Students can dip their toes in the water and see the reality.”

It was in this class that Freking started really feeling the push toward getting an internship after her freshman year. Although she came to college with the drive to don her cap and gown only after completing three different internships, she was still nervous about applying as a freshman.

She applied for three internships a day during interterm, hoping to hear back from at least one, which happened when Yoder’s office contacted her.

Freking’s friend, junior Andrew Poindexter, went to high school with Freking and has seen what he calls “a passion for others mixed with an internal drive to be successful.” As the Executive Vice President of Student Senate, Freking is obviously working her way up the ladder while at Baker. But Poindexter believes it to be more than that.

“She is incredibly hard working and relentless when she sets her mind on a goal, which is evident in the way she got an internship after freshman year, started the College Republicans club on campus, and worked her way up in her sorority,” Poindexter said. “She is definitely considered a leader on campus, but I think if you asked a lot of her friends they would say she is a really good friend who is funny, sincere, and fun to be around, and then they would talk about how motivated and driven she is.”

Although Freking’s drive as a freshman and sophomore is not entirely uncommon, Green believes more students should come in to college ready to apply for internships.

“A lot of internships could be a long shot, but rejection is just a part of the process, whether it’s with an internship or for a job,” Green said. “Students have to get used to hearing ‘no.’” Otherwise they’ll leave school and hear ‘no’s’ all around and they’ll be full of rejection. I don’t think students should let that fear of rejection keep them from applying.”

And Freking was nervous, but she credits a recommendation letter from former president Pat Long in helping her land the position. She said that much of the Baker community was supportive, and she even got to meet with Baker graduates while in D.C., thanks to the help of Professor of Business and Economics Kevin McCarthy.

Freking said moving there was the hardest part, but because of all the BU support, she had more of an opportunity to put herself in different areas.

“It’s amazing to me what I’ve done,” Freking said. “I’m really happy with myself and satisfied with myself and what I’ve done. And I do go to parties every once in a while, but I pride myself in balance and putting a lot of emotions and values in a lot of different things.”