Ferris State University students gain valuable work experience through internships. Internships also can confirm or redirect career decision-making, provide marketability, develop people skills and enhance classroom learning. Many academic programs require one, but the experience is encouraged regardless to provide students with a better understanding of what will be expected of them in the workplace.
Many students are participating in myriad internships this summer. Meet: Alina Canca
She is: Canca is from Northville, Mich. She is originally from Istanbul, Turkey. Canca is a senior in Business Administration with a minor in International Business.
Internship: She is an intern with the Empowerment Plan in Detroit, Mich.
What she is learning: Canca is learning how to work with marketing material to speak with sponsors of businesses when it comes to asking for money for donations. She deals with these donations and inputs them to the system and they either get cashed, or put into the account. These are then cataloged based on when they’re coming from and making a map of who donated for the years 2013-15. Her financial background before this internship wasn’t strong, but the internship has helped her round it out and has become a lot stronger.
Her advice: Get involved with your university. The opportunities and volunteer hours Canca has been presented to has really set her up and has made her stand out in order to get her internship.
How she’s standing out: While at the Empowerment Plan Canca has helped the seamstresses build resumes and a life plan. She takes an hour out of her day and meets with the seamstresses personally to help them become the best that they can be.
Her future plans: After graduating in Summer 2015, she plans on staying in Detroit and is hopeful that she can stay with the Empowerment Plan because she’s had such a great experience. However, if that weren’t to work, she would love to stay within the non-profit world