CONWAY, Ark. (July 31, 2015) – One hundred and two Hendrix College
students are busy this summer interning with companies across the world. From
working with a film production company in Ireland to serving as a Volunteer
Probation Officer with the Juvenile Court in Conway, students are learning
valuable skills before entering the workforce full-time.
Several
students are working with Hendrix alumni and parents who shared internship
opportunities with the Office of Career Discovery and Internships.
Brandon Cox ’16 is studying the “chemistry of ceramic
glazes” with Andrea Tompkins ’91 at the Arkansas Arts Center. Savannah
Herrera ’17 is an intern at Greg Thompson Fine Art, owned by Greg
Thompson ’90. Jared Lincoln ’17 is
working with Marty Rhodes ’72 at Stephens Insurance Services, Inc.
Ashley Clayborn ’16 is interning
at Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance with Hendrix alumni Elizabeth Baker ’08,
Maggie Peach ’14, and Liza Poris ’10, and with Patty Barker, mother of MK
Barker ’16. In the spring she visited the Alliance booth at the Career and
Internship Fair, and soon after was asked to interview for the position.
This summer Ashley is gaining experience
in every department in the organization. She helps
individuals sign up for SNAP benefits through SNAP Outreach. She teaches two
cooking classes with Maggie and Elizabeth at Pathfinders, a facility for
disabled adults, and at Farmer's Markets. She visits summer feeding sites with
Liza's department and cooks lunch once a week at the Harvest Fellowship site. She
also is hosting a bake sale and spreading awareness for the program.
“I am learning
about how many people are truly passionate about aiding the problem of hunger
in our community, which is amazing,” Ashley says, describing her internship. “I
am interested in industrial/organizational psychology as a career, and I think
this experience has skewed my desire to want to work specifically with non-profits!”
Ty Spradley ’16 is working 10 weeks this summer as an
intern in the Child Diagnostic Unit of the Psychiatric Research Institute at
the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. This spring Dr. Tim Maxwell
’78, associate professor of psychology, set up an informational meeting with alumna,
Dr. Khiela Holmes ’01 to discuss the internship with students.
While Ty spends a lot of time doing paperwork,
psychological test scoring, and database entry/management, he also shadows
various professionals in the institute when they do psychological testing with
children or when they have treatment plan meetings for patients. Often he
watches or participates in occupational therapy groups in which the children do
fun activities and learn skills. This internship is providing Ty with firsthand
knowledge of what it actually looks like day-to-day to work in a psychiatric
clinic and how to be a professional and interact with children at the same
time.
“I’m learning how to apply my classroom knowledge of statistics,
neuroscience, and research methods in order to change lives,” Ty says.
Leigh
Lassiter-Counts ’01, director of Career Discovery and Internships, encourages students to
think about interning as early as the summer after their freshman year. Students
in the Hendrix Internship Program have the opportunity to receive an academic grade, an academic course
credit, or Odyssey credit
for Professional and Leadership Development.
Learn more about internships
About Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private
liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with
the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges That Change
Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is nationally recognized in numerous college guides,
lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For
more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.