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:
Lauren Hitt
Lauren Hitt
She is: a senior from Brooklyn, Michigan, studying Social Work.
Her Internship and Making a Difference: Lauren is interning with the university’s Bulldog Basic Needs Alliance. “I have done case management with over 50 students who have faced food or housing insecurity. I successfully ran our crowdfunding efforts on One Day for Dawgs, where we raised more than double our goal of $2,500, as our final total raised was $6,635. I have also been able to head up efforts in increasing awareness of the alliance across campus; this includes staffing tabling events, placing signage, and attending various meetings around campus to discuss our efforts. Another great skill I have learned through my internship is professionalism and the importance of networking. We are constantly connecting with people around campus and different resources around Big Rapids and the state to serve better the students who reach us for assistance. The Bulldog Basic Needs Alliance strongly believes in being human-centered and minimizing barriers for our students, and I keep that in mind with each task I do.”
Ferris’ Assistance in Lauren’s Internship Placement: “Our wonderful director of field placement Dana Holcomb made finding an internship easy. I was initially unsure of what type of internship I wanted. I had thrown out a few ideas to Dr. Holcomb, and probably an hour after this meeting, she had reached out about this opportunity and helped me set up an interview. From there, I had my interview with my supervisors and once I was offered the opportunity, I accepted. I also have the best supervisors for an internship, as they are so communicative and helpful in every aspect of my internship, and I feel extremely well supported.”
Future Plans: “I intend to attend graduate school at Ferris to obtain my Master of Social Work. Following that, I would be interested in nonprofit opportunities like this internship, which has a perfect mix of working with clients, helping them with their basic needs, and working on larger picture things, such as projects, funding, and next steps.”
Other Campus Activities: “I am an assistant manager for Ferris Outfitters, our campus store in the David L. Eisler Center. I am also Truth College Leader, working with several professors and one other college leader in hopes of adopting a smoke and vape-free campus policy.”
Ferris Core Value Lauren Relates to: Collaboration. “I have also learned so many new perspectives on ideas through the
collaboration that the alliance does daily. That includes our ability to grow the
resources we can share with students when they reach out. Collaboration allows us
to donate funds to Kendall College of Art and Design to create a larger food pantry
for their students and support the Ferris Food Pantry to increase the amount of food
we can stock on our campus. Overall, collaboration has been so important for this
internship and will continue to be no matter where I may end up, professionally.”