Tag: internships

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News

Upcoming Internship Fair

By Sarah Burton

On Nov. 9-11, Houghton University will host an Internship Fair in the Van Dyk Lounge by the fireplace from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm each day.

The Center for Student Success will host the event, which was planned entirely by Rachel Wright, who is the Director of the Office of Vocation and Calling, and Associate Director of the Center for Student Success. 

Wright says, “in talking with Dr. Burrichter, it [the Fair] was a need that we needed.” 

Wright hopes that, by attending the Fair, “students can learn about different internship opportunities and can realize the process may need to start earlier than they were originally thinking.”

The Fair will consist of  various employers for  various majors, with about ten employers presenting each day.

 Wright discussed the diversity of employers, saying “there are some missions organizations, summer camps, as well as guidance centers, and nonprofits,” as well as some based more locally and others from across the United States.

The Fair will also offer a multitude of internships, including summer internships that will be held on Houghton’s campus. Wright also stressed the presence of job opportunities at the Fair, and not just internships.

Ashley Burton, a senior Biology major, spreads her hope about the Fair by stating, “As a graduating senior, I haven’t received a lot of information about jobs, mostly due to Covid-19, and I feel like this can provide me with [career] opportunities I may not have thought of.” 

Hannah Gullifer, a junior history major, thinks that the Fair is  “a great opportunity to look into the different opportunities that I can benefit from,” “Internships look great on a resume and can help to get jobs in the future[,] and can help me to grow as a person and someone in my field. They can be really exciting learning experiences.”  

The Internship Fair will offer students opportunities for experiences that can help them build on their professional expertise as eager learners. Houghton University is helping pave the way to send off successful graduates by offering resources like this.

   Students can register for the Fair on Handshake or the Houghton Hub to receive more information about the Fair, specifically which employers will be present each day, including some virtual events from employers and information sessions.

 Wright mentioned the importance of students utilizing Handshake beyond the Internship Fairby saying, “Students can use it for scheduling appointments with the Writing Center, Vocation and Calling, and Academic Support, as well as receiving resources and guides.” 

 After the Fair, more information about open internships can be found on Handshake. These internships would be with employers who were not able to make it to the fair. ★

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Stories In Focus

Shaping the Future: Houghton Student Summer Internships

Passing up an internship for a paid summer job may be common among college students, but it often means missing out on valuable experiences. This summer, Houghton students Chandler Jones ’17 and Melissa Maclean ’17 took internships in their fields, and agree that their experiences have shaped how they see their future career path.

Jones, an international development and communications major, interned at International Justice Mission (IJM), a Christian human rights organization headquartered in D.C. She worked as the Community Mobilization Intern.

img_3292img_3290“In any country where the legal system is corrupt, IJM goes in to help restore justice,” Jones said. According to the organization’s website, IJM is an anti-slavery organization that combats violence against the poor and vulnerable. Jones participated in lobbying congressmen and senators about the Ending Modern Slavery Act while interning for IJM. This role fit well for Jones, who hopes to one day work as an international human rights lawyer.

Jones added her experience at IJM made her feel sure that she was called to fight for justice through the legal field. She had known of the organization since her mission trip to Cambodia after graduating high school, where she helped care for victims of human trafficking. When she discovered that IJM rescued the girls from brothels, Jones began to pay attention to IJM’s efforts and dreamed of working there. Gary Hagen, the author of her favorite book, The Good News About Injustice, is the CEO of IJM. According to Jones, her internship built her communication skills and confidence, while also enriching her spiritually.

“Being with people my age who are so motivated and want to change the world is so inspiring,” she said.

Meanwhile, MacLean, also an international development and communications major, worked as an intern at two organizations throughout the summer, Heritage Christian Services and Motion Intelligence. MacLean worked under the director of communications at Heritage, which is an organization that provides services for people with autism spectrum disorder in Rochester. She also interned at Motion Intelligence, a company that does groundbreaking research with the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical Center in the field of diagnostics. Motion Intelligence focuses on concussion testing, autism, and athletic performance. MacLean acted as a freelance videographer for the organization.

“It’s been an incredible opportunity to explore my interests and get a genuine feeling for whether this would be a good fit for me,” MacLean said of both internship experiences. She said she realized she enjoys working for a specific cause like autism spectrum. “It’s molded my spiritual life, molded my work ethic, molded my compassion, honed my professional skills, and given me opportunities to network,” she said.

Both Jones and MacLean said their internships helped them to see what kind of work they felt passionate about and strengthened the skills they will need for the future.

“Even if you get an internship in something that has nothing to do with what you do in the future, that networking is so incredible,” MacLean said. “There’s nothing bad I can say that came out of the experience.”

 

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News

Buffalo City Semester: Diversity Close to Home

While scrolling through the course offerings, one may easily skim over the bold print: “HOUGHTON COLLEGE CITY SEMESTER (Buffalo)”. In fact, many Houghton students are alien to the course.

Courtesy of city-data.com
Courtesy of city-data.com

One student replied to the question “Do you know what the Buffalo City Semester is?” with “I heard of it, but I don’t know exactly what you do.” Another student said, “It’s not advertised as well as it should be. I have no idea what it is.”

So what exactly is the City Semester? Located only an hour and a half away, students have the opportunity to live, learn, and explore the historical and culturally diverse city of Buffalo. While in Buffalo, students have the opportunity to engage in an academic environment where development, politics, sociology, and culture come to life. Experience becomes concrete, as professors take students across the West side of Buffalo, providing visual aids for students to stimulate ideas and connect the dots.

The city semester offers a environment drastically different than Houghton’s campus. Students can spend days roaming the streets of Buffalo, experiment with various cuisines, talk politics or philosophy over coffee, or share a home-cooked meal at the Houghton Rectory while listening to stories from Professor Massey.

City semester students also have the opportunity to intern as they take courses from professors Chuck Massey, education, and Cameron Airhart, history. Several students have taken advantage of this diverse option.

Internships are becoming more desirable in the 21st century as jobs become scarce. David Boyes, owner of a technology consultant firm, expresses his concern about students graduating today with a lack of experience as most of their time is spent behind a textbook. To combat this fad, Boyes emphasizes, “[do] an internship.”

Houghton Senior and alumni of the Buffalo City-Semester, Hannah Vardy, said, “The ability to do an internship was an amazing opportunity. Growing skills and learning about your field is a great way to begin looking towards your career or even to see if it’s not for you.” Many internships are available and include Wesley Service Corps, Jericho Road Ministries, Journey’s End, Habitat for Humanity, and numerous other local firms and institutions.

Though the city semester does not compare to the semester in Tanzania in traveling distance, it can be an equally influential experience. It is a way to connect a little place called Houghton with a big city that has its own identity. Embarking on a cultural excursion does not necessarily have to take students halfway across the world.

After being canceled this past spring, Houghton students and faculty are doing all that they can to restart the city-semester program. Professor Airhart is looking for interest in the fall 2013, as well as spring 2014. If interested, please email him at Cameron.Airhart@houghton.edu.