Written by Elizabeth Trollinger '11

DANVILLE, KY— This summer, many Centre College students have redeemed one of the promises of the Centre Commitment by finding an internship through Career Services and the Centre Internship Plus program. One such student is senior Ricky Ackerman, who is interning for the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) in Washington, D.C. (Click for parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.)

"More specifically, I'm working for Teaming With Wildlife, a coalition dedicated to securing state fish and wildlife agencies the funding necessary for conservation," Ackerman says. "Working at AFWA gives me a lot of insight into environmental policy-making. I've gotten to sit in on Senate and House hearings and go to meetings with House legislative assistants."  

Ackerman's internship has helped him focus his career goals. "I have a lot of interest in the environment and although I'm not exactly sure if I want to pursue environmental policy as a career, I've realized that I definitely want to pursue a career in politics," he says.

Junior Marla Sweitzer has also been able to explore potential career options with her internship as an account service intern at Clarke/Eric Mower and Associates—a public relations and advertising agency—in Sarasota, Fla.

"As an international relations major and studio art minor, I'm exploring possible career paths that combine my passion for the arts, journalism and global affairs," Sweitzer says. "Recently I've considered the areas of public relations and advertising as possible career options, so I pursued an internship that would expose me to these fields.

"From writing pitches to conducting research on clients and competitors, to sitting in on and being able to contribute to brainstorming sessions, the internship has been a valuable learning experience," Sweitzer continues. "It's been interesting to see the interaction between individuals within the agency coming up with strategies. I'm enjoying working in an environment where I constantly have to think of new, creative ideas."

Fellow junior Morgan Lynn has also enjoyed her internship this summer with Build a Nest, a non-profit organization that loans money to female artists and artisans to help them build successful small businesses.

"My major is international studies, so working with a company that encourages sustainable development fits right in," Lynn says. "I also plan to continue on to business school after graduation, so the fact that the organization was founded by a young female entrepreneur appealed to me."

Lynn, who found out about the Build a Nest internship from Shaina Peterson '09, has been doing important work for the company.

"Lately I've been writing press releases for events. The last one I wrote was for a party in East Hampton at Rugby Ralph Lauren. They're offering a special night of discounted prices, good music and cocktails to benefit Nest," she says. "It's so cool to write something that involves such big names. I have to admit that writing these releases makes me feel very important indeed."

Although her internship is unpaid, Lynn feels like she's gaining a lot. For her, it's compensation enough "to work in the company of amazing women. The knowledge that the work I'm doing is helping skilled women in developing countries to have the opportunity to better their lives and the lives of their families is amazing."

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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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