Abilenians find new experiences and career connections through internships
By Rebecca Hargus
The pre-cursor to the launch of careers, internships represent a pivotal moment in the professional path for many soon to be college graduates, and each year as summer approaches, landing a summer job in the career field of choice takes on new urgency.
Jill Fortson, director of the career center at Abilene Christian University says internships have begun to play an even more significant role in job placement in recent years.
“We’ve seen an increase in both the number of students completing internships as well as the number of employers providing internships,” Fortson said. “Sixty-eight percent of our May 2014 graduates completed one or more internships during their college career. We’ve seen a marked increase over the past several years.”
According to a recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, recruiting new hires is the main focus of 77.6 percent of employers, Fortson said. Perhaps more significantly, 79 percent of interns accepted a full time offer from their internship employer.
Clearly both employers and interns benefit from intern programs. Students gain hands on experience, and employers gain affordable help and a chance for potential.
Those numbers also represent a potential opportunity for Abilene businesses.
“Our community could benefit by increasing our retention of students in the local workforce who may otherwise accept an opportunity elsewhere,” Fortson said.
Still, many students look to travel and experience new locales as part of their professional preparation. Abilene-area college students and recent graduates have roamed the remote Alaskan wilderness, helped design the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, and experienced the sophisticated inner workings of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Currently working toward a Ph.D. in public policy through Walden University, Whitney Root of nearby Trent, Texas, has held two internships, one with the National Park Service (Gates of the Arctic) and one with Fish and Wildlife Service (Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge). Root found both through the Student Conservation Association.
The SCA looks to find students interested in aiding public lands and works to help these students find opportunities to indulge their interests. Root says the many opportunities available through the SCA are varied but “all important in many ways, not only to the public at large, but to the individual. It’s a learning and growing experience, a chance to meet lifelong friends, a way to give back selflessly while gaining excellent hands on experience.”
Root’s experience with SCA allowed her a deeper look into her pursuits in conservation, public lands, and the issues conservationists face.
“Policy issues are a constant concern/battle in many of the lands in arctic Alaska—from oil, to hunting/subsistence, to budgeting,” Root said.
In addition to experience in the field she hopes to work in, Root’s internship has also provided important general life lessons.
“I spent two summers in a small cabin with no water or electricity. One summer I had the advantage of a solar panel,” Root said. “I patrolled lands that were literally in the middle of nowhere — ran into bears, wolves, and caribou. I met people on extreme journeys, some bike riding from Argentina to Alaska. I swam in the Arctic Ocean and touched the trans-Alaska pipeline. In short, I walked away with memories galore and learning experiences beyond what I ever expected. Living without water or power is survivable. I promise.”
Dustin Sizemore of Stonebridge Design & Architecture in Abilene spent his internship in the Dallas area with the prestigious architecture firm, HKS. There, Sizemore helped design the seating in the Dallas Cowboy Stadium – “quite an undertaking,” he says. Sizemore and the firm also had a hand in the design of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, a Dallas county jail.
There were two major architectural software packages at the time of Sizemore’s internship, Archicad and Revit. Part of Sizemore’s job was to work extensively with Archicad, while another intern used Revit. The firm’s goal was to compare each program and see which was more conducive to HKS’s projects.
Sizemore says his internship with HKS was a terrific learning opportunity and a step along the pathway that has brought him full circle, back to settle and raise a family in Abilene. Upon graduation from ACU, Sizemore and his wife had decided to move to Lubbock, as they both were originally from the area. Sizemore’s first job was with Condray Design Group in Lubbock. After a time there, Sizemore went to Betenbough Homes, a major construction company, and was hired to revamp their entire product line. Sizemore always felt a need for more leadership and decision making opportunities, and decided to strike out on his own, before the market crash in 2008.
Shortly after starting his own business, the market did crash, and because of the downturn, Sizemore was forced to look for other employment opportunities. He inquired with Jeff Luther of Luther Construction, in Abilene, where he was hired almost on the spot.
“Jeff mentored me, quite a bit,” Sizemore says. “I learned more at Luther Construction than I did with my degree and all the other jobs I had combined.”
Still sensing a need for leadership, Sizemore once again decided to start his own business.
“The timing was right—I saw the market pick back up,” he said. “I had soft leads that floated me for a month or two, and I started Stonebridge Design. The Lord saw me through.”
Sizemore has always had a passion for missions, and through his firm, Sizemore is able to support many missions in the Abilene area, as well as educate the people about needs in the community. Sizemore has implemented a program called “You choose, we give.” He partners with several non-profits, ministries, and community building initiatives in the Abilene area. With each invoice Stonebridge sends, Stonebridge includes a list of programs the client may choose from, and Stonebridge makes a donation to the chosen charity.
“It’s a great way to educate the public and merge my talent for design with my passion for ministry,” says Sizemore.
Sizemore credits his internship with affirming his decision to go into design, and also for the realization that he prefers to do business and raise a family in Abilene, rather than a larger city like Dallas or Lubbock.
Brantly Houston, a current ACU student and advertising and public relations major, was fortunate enough to secure an internship with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. His passion lies in marketing fine arts, and Houston says his internship afforded him great affirmation of his choice to go into the marketing field.
Houston said the first few weeks of his internship were grueling. He had a lot of adjustments to make. Not only was he away from home and familiar surroundings, but for the first time in a very long while, Houston was interacting with people in the office who were not of his own age. For Houston, this took some getting used to. Also, Houston’s first task involved cold calling, asking strangers for donations for the symphony — an exercise in both patience and perseverance. Houston stuck it out, and things at the symphony took on a more exciting tone.
Every summer, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra hosts Symphony on the Prairie. This concert series is held outdoors, where people spread blankets on the ground and picnic while enjoying the beautiful sounds of the symphony and soft breezes of the prairie winds. For Houston, the first week of the concert series was anything but relaxing. The first week was filled with excitement, as there were two concerts going on in that same week. Houston was in charge of handing out flyers, signing people up for contests, and making sure concert goers were aware of the pizza available to them. Houston really enjoyed the buzz, the opportunity to work with the public, and the excuse to get out of the office and quit the cold calling.
During one concert in particular, Houston was responsible for all of the concert’s social media marketing aspects. The weather had decided not to cooperate with the symphony goers. Lightening had started flashing, and Houston was in charge of letting the crowd know when it was safe to go back to their cars and how they needed to respond to the storm via social media. He was backstage, constantly updating the music fans on the weather situation. It was a stressful time, but Houston remained calm and coolheaded. He was later told that the director of public relations for the symphony was quite impressed with the way he handled himself and the situation.
Although Houston’s internship focused more on marketing than public relations like his major emphasizes, Houston was able to see up close how the two facets work together, and he saw how the concepts he learned in class were applied to real life situations. Houston also learned a lot about himself during the time he spent with the orchestra.
“I never felt like I worked well under pressure, but my time at the symphony showed me I really do,” he said. “It was a fantastic experience. It opened up broad opportunities, and I miss it every day.”
Houston visits regularly with the people he met during his internship and has secured various letters of recommendation, which will prove beneficial during his job search in the upcoming months. Houston is not sure whether he will progress to graduate school or jump right into a career, but he is sure of one thing thanks to his internship, going into marketing was the right choice—he’s right where he wants to be.
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