By Jake Thomas
Internships are one of the best resources a student can have during their time at college.
By bridging the gap between education and the professional scene, students can take their experience from the classroom and apply it to real life scenarios.
Newly installed Cameron President Shane Hunt has been a big advocate for student opportunities, broadening both the university’s scope and students’ skill sets. This means internships are not just limited to one location.
By participating in internships, students can secure better futures for their careers.
Former Cameron alumna and Collegian member Alyssa Martinez has recently earned a spot on Disney’s College Program, an internship located in Orlando, Florida. The program is known for providing students with entry level positions in the entertainment and park service industries.
Attendees are given the chance to attend lectures by various Disney leaders, paid work that includes discounts to park attractions, all the while having shared experiences with other members in their own dedicated housing.
Although the program is far from home, and to some may seem out of reach, by using her experience and portfolio, Martinez has turned a long-time idea into reality.
“I applied randomly in March because I was already filling out a bunch of job applications and I figured, why not? – It’s something that I’ve heard about since I was in at least middle school, and it always seemed super interesting to me.” she said.
Alyssa is currently in her first year of graduate school, to earn her masters in organizational leadership, and is already considering the possibility of continuing this experience alongside pursuing her degree.
“I know if you’re an alumni, you get access to even more […] roles, like parade control or VIP tours,” Alyssa said, “We haven’t started yet, but for now, I am planning to come back, and do my master’s program full-time.”
Both support and encouragement for the future can help inspire a student with their new aspirations as well. Alyssa also brought up her brief conversation with the president.
“I actually was encouraged to do it and […] take advantage of the opportunity,” she said. “And I did mention it in passing to President Hunt. He got very excited about it.”
While concerns of moving to a new state over the course of several months may seem daunting, the College Disney program is sure to provide Alyssa with at least a good learning experience. She’s excited for the opportunity, but she is also staying aware of the new challenges she will have to face.
“There are a lot of moving parts to it, and I’m excited to see where it kind of goes. There are a lot of networking opportunities, which is a big appeal of the program,” Alyssa said. “I don’t think I saw myself doing this, but now that I’m down here it’s feeling a lot more real.”
Internships are as useful as they are varied, with different locations, experiences and chances, but ultimately students will come back with a similar feeling of accomplishment. Trace Boggs for example, has recently finished his summer internship at Navico Group, a marine recreation company with an office in Tulsa.
They specialize in things like navigation, sonar, trolling motor systems and other engineering solutions that power specialty vehicles. Navico Group is a division of Brunswick corporation that provides their service to several boating brands and corporations.
Trace Boggs is a senior at Cameron, dual majoring in both mathematics and computer science.
Over the summer after applying to several places, Navico got back to Trace with a friendly interview and a job opportunity in a new town.
“I was a software engineering intern, so I essentially developed software for their product.” Trace said. “Software for a line of trolling motors that they work on, which is mostly used for fishing, especially big in like, the pro fishing scene, things like that.”
The transition from the class to the workplace can give students a real grip on the progress they have made with their education and how it is applied. A hands-on experience facilitates this feeling even more.
“I loved it personally. I felt like I was working on something that was pretty cool and real world. And overall, I really liked the environment there,” He said. “because, you know, there’s not many, especially, like, at a software engineering job, it’s very rare for you to be able to actually go out on the water like I did.”
This experience not only affirms the students’ prowess, but it can provide a great way to get their foot in the door as well. Trace’s involvement with Navico not only strengthened his relationship with the company, potentially having the opportunity to come back, but also looks good on a resume.
Future jobs will look for employees with a familiarity with the industry already, and an internship is a perfect example of that.
Trace described his experience as very meaningful and worth the investment, serving as an important milestone in his future career.
“Because, you know, from my college experience, I live in Lawton.” He said, “So I haven’t had to have the whole, living away from home experience – no university, no dorm, no college peers, you’re on your own, rents due on the first of the month. That was a big learning experience.”
To make it especially impactful, Cameron gave an elective credit to Trace for taking this internship.
“One thing I’ll bring up as well that’s nice, at least for the computer science department, is I was able to do a class as an elective for this internship,” Trace said, “so I got school credit for doing this internship. And I think that was really cool that Cameron kind of integrated and encouraged getting an internship.”
Ultimately, internships should be a top priority for students to help discover how they fit in their respective industries, and where they want to go next. If you are a student looking for an internship, contact employers on various websites, use Cameron resources like CU Advance or contact your department for any opportunities they have.