Internship Plus makes work experience with highly regarded NYC fashion label possible

RELEASED: May 8, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—As part of the Centre Commitment, students who meet academic and social expectations are guaranteed opportunities for an internship. In addition, the College offers extra financial support to students who participate in high-quality experiential learning during the summer or the distinctive CentreTerm—a 22-day intensive term in January in which creative topics, independent research, off-campus programs and internships are the rule, not the exception. It's called Internship Plus, and it awards up to $750 toward a CentreTerm internship and $1,500 toward a summer internship.

When Shannon Eblen '09, a studio art major from Lexington, Ky., her logs first day in New York City as a fashion intern, she'll have Internship Plus to thank.

"I'll be interning with Tuleh, a fashion label designed by Bryan Bradley," says Eblen. "It's still a small company [founded in 1998], but shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week with other well known designers such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren."

Landing an internship with a respected designer in downtown Manhattan is no easy feat. It requires talent, hard work, perseverance and a little luck. Eblen confesses, "I had an in through a friend of a friend who used to work there and put me in contact with the productions manager."

But internships such as these pay only in experience, which is invaluable in the long term but doesn't help to cover immediate living expenses in the short term. Internship Plus provides the financial support that makes this type of experiential learning possible for students who otherwise would have a difficult time affording the opportunity.

Eblen will perform a variety of tasks during her three-month position at Tuleh, from basic record keeping related to garments to assisting in the design process and the runway production during Fashion Week. Fortunately, Centre has provided additional experiences that will make her internship even more fulfilling.

"I've worked with various student and professional costume designers in the theatre department," she says. "It's allowed me to experience the creative process of design, given me a chance to build clothing items, and it's also made me more organized and able to work with other people in a team environment." As for career plans, Eblen says she's torn between costume and fashion design but looks for this internship to establish the connections she'll need for either or both.

For a New York Times video interview with Bryan Bradley of Tuleh, click here.

Among other experiential learning opportunities that were supported the Internship Plus program this year include positions at U.S. Representative Ben Chandler's Office in Washington, D.C.; The Nature Conservancy in Lexington, Ky.; Fox News Channel in Washington, D.C.; and New Harmony Theatre in Evansville, Ind.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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