CONWAY, Ark. (July 26, 2016) – This summer, 121 Hendrix College students are interning at 105 sites in 18 states, the District of Columbia, and five foreign countries (Brazil, China, Myanmar, The Netherlands, and Peru) – a 20 percent increase student participation compared to last summer,
according to
Leigh Lassister-Counts ’01, Director of Career Discovery and Internships.
Read the full student list
here.
Popular summer internship activities include medical or health related internships (including research, physical therapy, veterinary, and public health/health advocacy nonprofits), environmental studies-oriented internships, government and political campaigns.
“The Hendrix internship program is unique in a lot of ways. When I talk with colleagues in the experiential education field or read the literature dealing with internship programs, the most common theme is how to get internships on the minds of ALL students and not only business
majors,” said Lassiter-Counts. “That’s not a problem at Hendrix.”
“Across the board, our students seek out internships across the spectrum,” she said. “Out of our 121 interns this summer, only 16 are doing business or accounting related internships. That means across all majors and every type of career interest, our students are out
there exploring the real world and gaining confidence for life after Hendrix.”
Participating in an internship gives students a glimpse of the real world beyond the examples in their books, classroom discussions, or research papers.
“Students come back excited to talk with their professors about what they saw and what they got to do out in the field that relates back to theories they’ve learned in class,” said Lassiter-Counts. “There is a lot of truth in the Odyssey Program’s philosophy that you learn more when
you do more. That ‘full-circle’ experience makes our students excellent job and graduate school candidates. They have meaningful experiences to talk about on interviews and that often bumps them to the top of the list for hiring or selection.”
Several internship hosts sharing their time and talents with students this summer are Hendrix alumni, who can mentor students in unique ways based on the shared Hendrix experience, said Lassiter-Counts.
“As we work to fulfill the vision of the College’s
Strategic Plan, connecting with more alumni and parents to offer internship opportunities is crucial, and I’m looking forward to seeing Hendrix’s program grow in that way,” she said.
Student
reflections
“I have seen so many of the techniques I have learned in the lab at Hendrix at play here at the Crime Lab! All of the analytical techniques we are taught to increase precision have been vital in two of the validation projects I'm working on. Also, the process of creating a validation plan is very similar to
making a research plan with Dr. Hatch, which was a pleasant surprise,” said Abby Gatmaitan ’17, who is interning in the Arkansas State Crime Lab.
“I'm learning that there are many ways to apply chemistry that I never thought of. I always thought that you would have to either perform research or become a professor. But this experience has taught me that there are other options out there,” she said. “This internship will help me in graduate interviews and job
interviews because I will have some much needed experience in this career field, but I also am able to explain multiple techniques and instruments.”
“I've been learning a lot about the intricacies of museums. The Smithsonian is a huge institution, and it takes a lot of people for it to function. As an intern, I've had the opportunity to talk to people in a variety of roles from development to education to collections and tour a wide
variety of collections and work space areas in the museum,” said Megan Prettyman ’17, who is interning with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
“One of the main things I have been working on at my internship is writing histories for the Crow and Tonkawa Native American tribes. These histories will ultimately be included in upcoming repatriation reports,” she said. “The work is a lot like a research paper I would write for
one of my history classes. The biggest difference is the final paper will actually be used to make informed decisions about repatriation instead of sitting unread after it is finished.
“In terms of my future career, the biggest advantage this internship has given me is the relationships with various members inside the museum. I now have people who are greatly respected in the field in which I want to work who are willing to write references for me and
support my future work. That will be invaluable in my future job searching,” said Prettyman. “It has definitely confirmed my desire to pursue a career in museums.”
“I am so thankful for all I learned while doing research as well as all the adventures and new lifelong friends made this summer,” said Ben Robles ’17, who is interning with Boise State University under a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates grant
in Materials for Energy and Sustainability. “This experience has made me realize how much there is out there, how many opportunities, how much more there is to learn.”
“Coming to Idaho for this internship expanded my horizons. I confirmed that I do want to go to graduate school, but also I learned that I want to take a year off school to do internships in the fields I'm interested and gain experience before graduate school. A thing I learned is
that the more I travel, the smaller the world seems, so you have to get out and explore it,” said Robles.
“This experience has been rife with incredible opportunities,” said Leah Bishop ’17, who is interning in the Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) of the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Peru. The Consular Section deals directly with relations between the U.S., Peru, and U.S. and
Peruvian citizens and provides services to U.S. citizens currently in Peru, and Peruvian citizens hoping to travel to the U.S. Her work with FPU is to prevent and research misuse of visas.
“Academically, I have strengthened my Spanish writing, technological and critical thinking skills,” she said, adding that summer interns are offered various career-development programming, including workshops on interviewing and job-searching. “This internship has been an incredibly
important step in furthering my career development. I knew going into it that this internship would be a huge asset on my résumé, but I didn't realize how much more articulate, knowledgeable, and connected I would become thanks to the mentorship that this internship has provided me.”
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.