Rural Student Spotlight Program: Interns Support Local Entrepreneurs – Amber Trzaska & Bumby Wool

When education and industry collide, the spark doesn't just light up a classroom—it ignites local economies.

Launched as a visionary collaboration in early 2026, the Rural Student Spotlight Program set out with a distinct, ambitious mission: connect eager post-secondary students with rural businesses across Central Alberta to tackle the modern hurdles of innovation, commercialization, and technology adoption.

What began as a targeted pilot quickly became a powerful, living example of what happens when regional talent is given the space to lead. Managed through a partnership between the Central Alberta Regional Innovation Network (CARIN) and Technology Alberta, the program designed a brilliant win-win framework. By matching 12 students from Red Deer Polytechnic and Olds College with 12 rural businesses, the initiative provided up to 100 hours of paid, hands-on work per internship.

For rural businesses navigating tight budgets and rapid tech shifts, the program offered far more than just extra hands-on deck. It provided a gateway to emerging talent, heightened visibility within Alberta’s broader innovation ecosystem, and a structured opportunity to breathe life into stalled or under-resourced projects.

Conversely, for the students, it was a career-defining milestone:

• Paid, meaningful work experience right in their backyard.

• Direct exposure to entrepreneurship and early-stage business operations.

• The rare chance to make a measurable impact early in their professional journeys.

  
  

From drone program development to cutting-edge social media strategy, each student brought fresh insight, technical skills, and problem-solving capacity to real-world challenges. The following story highlights exactly how an entrepreneur/student partnership turned hours of collaboration into lasting regional impact.

Learning, Adapting, and Creating: Amber Trzaska & Bumby Wool

Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line; it is a whirlwind of moving parts, unexpected challenges, and constant multitasking. When Amber Trzaska stepped into her role as Executive Assistant at Bumby Wool, she was treated to an authentic, unfiltered look at what it takes to run a successful manufacturing and media business simultaneously.

Stephanie Gross, the driving force behind Bumby Wool, recognized Amber's readiness to dive headfirst into the chaotic beauty of small business life:

“Amber was eager to engage, learn and participate. She listened to instructions and fulfilled tasks well. She had completed a 2-year program, I agreed with her decision to further her education with an undergraduate degree. She is a capable youth, with a bright future. I think exposing her to the entrepreneurial life as well as my experience doing the exact job she said she hoped to do was eye-opening to the realities of the future. Real life is often a great teacher."

"Amber helped create, package, organize and facilitate 2 wholesale orders that were secured during her term. She created media for social posts, created and implemented a campaign to connect with networks on LinkedIn and facilitated the general operations of the manufacturing facility.”

Adjusting to the high-energy pace of an entrepreneur was a learning curve, but it taught Amber invaluable lessons about professional agility, communication, and embracing the fear of the unknown:

“The internship is going great! I have been doing a small amount of administrative work but mostly making soap or taking pictures to post on social media. Stephanie has been great. She is a very busy person with her podcast, adding soap to her business, and running a successful business. There are moments at the beginning where I felt unsure about Stephanie because she has so much on the go; she wants to do three to five things at once. The first day was a bit crazy because she wanted me to learn all these different duties in the first two hours. Stephanie has taught me so much over these last few weeks that it is ok to step out of your comfort zone and it’s okay to fail because we learn valuable lessons.”

The Future of Rural Innovation

The success of these placements proves that the economic and innovative future of Central Alberta doesn't rely solely on looking outward—it also relies on investing inward. By empowering students from institutions like Red Deer Polytechnic and Olds College to embed themselves within local businesses and organizations, the Rural Student Spotlight Program has built a repeatable blueprint for regional prosperity.

As these interns wrap up their projects and step into the workforce, they leave behind optimized workflows, robust digital campaigns, and safer communities—standing as a testament to the undeniable power of localized, hands-on learning.

If you’re an employer or student interested in participating in a future offering of the Rural Student Spotlight Program, please contact us: CONTACT US | CA-RIN.