At the Hurt Hub@Davidson, professional pursuits and students’ passions blend seamlessly, giving way to endless possibilities and extraordinary opportunities. Cooper Oljeski, a junior Music major and Neuroscience minor at Davidson College, is one of the lucky students. During the school year, he worked for Young Dragonslayers, an online social club that connects kids and teens through a shared interest in the game, Dungeons & Dragons. As a member of the Davidson College Dungeons & Dragons(D&D) club, Cooper was especially intrigued by founder Katie Lear and her company’s work. Young Dragonslayers received the CATS (Capital, Advisors, Talent, Space) Pitch prize, which includes startup capital, pro-bono Gig-Hub hours, access to coworking space, and opportunities for mentorship through LaunchCLT.
Cooper originally heard about the Hurt Hub@Davidson’s variety of internship, work, and entrepreneurship opportunities through word of mouth, and immediately became interested. During the first meeting, Cooper learned more about the foundation of the company, such as Katie’s background as a child therapist, and her aspiration to use D&D as a way to help trends and kids develop social skills and explore their creativity.
As part of the team, Cooper worked on a number of projects and gained a number of important skills for his professional career. He strengthened his creative writing skills by developing fun and informative blog posts for parents, teens, and kids to learn more about the game. He also learned more about search engine optimization(SEO), specifically how to utilize specific terms for the company website. Working with kids and other coworkers, Cooper improved his interpersonal and communication skills.
In the future, Cooper plans to stay in contact with Katie and Young Dragonslayers and hopes to continue to seek out opportunities for creative D&D work. Davidson College students have the unique opportunity to learn outside of the classroom, especially in ways that will strengthen their career and professional skills.
Click the link to learn more about the student opportunities at the Hurt Hub@Davidson.
