Alex Ngaba ’24 — I am grateful to Wabash College, the Career Service Office, and Dr. Roy Kaplan for helping me secure this internship. Also, I appreciate the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program (WLAIP) for funding my internship experience as a camp counselor at Camp Grier in Old Fort, NC. Without it, I’m not sure if I would be here right now. The WLAIP last summer helped build my resume and gave me confidence going into the start of my college career. The feeling of securing an internship out of state is terrific, considering I’ve only been in the United States for four years. It all started when I asked Dr. Roy Kaplan if he could help me find a summer internship because I wanted to get busy for the summer. He asked me if I would be open to working outside Indiana, and I accepted the offer.

I never worked in a camp before, and I never did an overnight camp either. It’s the first time for everything, and I like to connect with nature. The staff members are polite, respectful, and patient. In the first two weeks, everyone had to go through staff training. My role is to work on the farm and help mentor the other counselors. The farm has chickens, pigs, bees, a greenhouse, and a garden that we use to harvest plants. I had to learn how to feed animals and become a beekeeper too. My job is simple compared to other duties. Every day we receive campers who visit the camp. Once they arrive, we talk about how chickens eat while finding ways to protect them from eagles and snakes. A group cannot see all the animals at once because we only have two hours for each program. The farm program sees campers Monday to Thursday.

The main reason I accepted the position was to enhance my communication and teamwork skills. During the past few weeks at Camp Grier, I learned a lot from the campers and my supervisors. I have never experienced this much group collaboration, problem-solving, and team spirit, which is everything I wanted from this internship experience.

Trevor McKinney ’24 — I would first off like to thank Dr. Roy Kaplan, Associate Dean Morin, Dr. Robert Horton, Dr. Michele Pittard, Wabash alumni Bill Butcher, and the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program (WLAIP) at Wabash College for the roles they played in allowing me the chance at this incredible internship. Without the people listed above I would have been unable to do all that I did this summer, and thanks to them I can share all of the amazing things I have learned from working at a summer camp. The idea of being a camp counselor is one that had never crossed my mind, that is until Roy Kaplan recommended that my outdoors experience and personality would meet the needs to be a good counselor. I spent a little bit of time to take the thought in as I couldn’t see myself working with kids in that manner but decided to take a leap of faith and go for the internship at Camp Grier in North Carolina.

This internship has taught me many skills that I will be able to use for the rest of my life. My morning started at seven A.M. when I would wake up my kids and have them ready for the day by eight. My energy needed to start high as we sang every morning before breakfast. My co-counselors and I would make sure we we enthusiastic about anything we did because it was our job to create a fun and exciting environment for the kids, and whether that meant singing songs at the top of my lungs or dancing at eight in the morning I was willing to do it. I spent all day leading the kids through an array of activities both exciting and boring. From trips down rivers and up mountains to playing disc golf in the woods I would keep excited and moving. At the end of the night I would lead the kids through a devotion that was meant to make them think and appreciate their experiences during the day. After that I would send them to bed so they could prepare to do it all over again the next day.

Though I never wanted to be a camp counselor I don’t think there is anything that has impacted me in a more positive way in my entire life. I was able to spend this summer living not just for myself, but for the kids. I woke up every day willing to do whatever it takes to create an awesome time for my kids. I saw kids from broken homes smile and learn to enjoy the outdoors. I saw kids sent here by wealthy families against their will who ended up not wanting to leave. Camp Grier has given me a new perspective on life and that is one that I hope to keep for the rest of my life. Thank you Camp Grier for all that you have been for me this summer and thank you to my kids for being my reason to get up and live life every day. 

Hugo Garcia ’23 — This summer, I got the extraordinary opportunity to intern for VAST Creative Co. in Merryville, IN. VAST is a branding agency that specializes in marketing. They work with clients by helping them grow through their photography, social media management, consulting, and activating their business. This internship took place close to home, which made it an easy commute to and from work. I want to start off by saying a special thanks to Dr. Roy Kaplan and the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program (WALIP). The WLAIP helped me secure this internship through the funds they provided me. Dr. Roy Kaplan did a tremendous amount of work in helping all the students obtain their first internship and make the process as smooth as possible!

As an intern, I had little to no experience working in the marketing field. I quickly learned and adjusted to the needs of the position. VAST did an excellent job in exposing several aspects and roles of the marketing company. This being said, I played a big role in a social media management role. I helped manage the accounts of several Facebook and Instagram accounts. I helped write copy and design social media graphics and stories. I helped with photography scenes and learned what looks appealing to the eye and sells. Likewise, I also learned how to work with several platforms that are used in the real world. This helped me immensely because I have more tools in my pocket to work the different applications and make them make my money.

This internship has taught me how relationships in the business world are handled, as well as the several skills I learned that are listed above. This internship was possible thanks to the WLAIP with the guidance and aid they gave me. I could not be thankful enough for the opportunity. It was truly an awesome experience that I was able to do while being reimbursed for the work I did. It opened my eyes to what I want to do in the future as a career. It was amazing being able to do something new and learning at the same time.

Jordan Reel ’23 — First, I would like to thank the Wabash Public Policy Project (WPPP) for funding my internship with the Attorney General’s Office this summer, as well as the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program (WLAIP) for funding my second internship on campus. Both of these programs allowed me to enjoy the many benefits of my internship experiences without having to stress about the costs coming out of my pocket. If it were not for these programs, I would not have been able to afford the daily expenses that both programs required, so I am indebted to the kindness Wabash has shown me over these past eight weeks.

During my internship with the Attorney General’s Office, I was able to take part in many on-going investigations and research projects which offered me a one-of-a-kind experience within the legal field. From doing legal research to sitting in on calls about out-of-state investigations, my time with the Attorney General’s Office gave me valuable experience that extends far beyond the office walls. I was able to make all sorts of new connections that I know will be beneficial in the future and even possibly help me land a job post-graduation. Most importantly, this opportunity allowed me to understand the daily operations of government employed lawyers and how they operate their case work.

This internship also enhanced many of my researching and communication skills seeing that many of my projects were team-oriented and required thorough communication with the other interns in my section. Even more so, some of my fellow interns were also Wabash men which really pushed me to do my best work seeing that I was working alongside men that I had known for quite sometime which forced me to hold myself accountable for doing my best work.

After completing this first internship, I was blessed with the opportunity to also be an academic tutor and mentor for the WLAIP. During this internship I was able to enhance my tutoring and communication skills due to the constant questions and ideas that the students came to me with about their papers and speeches. As a result, I was able to really hone-in on my communication skills and making sure that my ideas and thoughts were understood by the students and seen as constructive criticism to help improve their writing. Along with this came the many new relationships that I was able to make with the incoming students and the new friendships that blossomed from our daily interactions. From giving advice about dorms and living units to cooking burgers for them at cookouts, my experience with these students was something that changed my outlook on both myself and this new class of Wabash students.

I would once more like to thank both with WPPP and the WLAIP for these amazing opportunities and the gracious compensation that I received from both. It is truly a blessing to be apart of such a caring and motivating institution!

Zane Linback ’24 — I spent my summer working at VIA Marketing as a web development intern. I want to thank the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program (WLAIP), specifically Dr. Robert Horton, Dr. Pittard, and Dr. Roy Kaplan, for their help throughout the entire process.

As an intern web developer, I worked exclusively in person. I benefited from working in person because I was able to shadow a full-stack web developer. Heading into the internship, I had little idea of what to expect. I was only vaguely familiar with both marketing and coding. Initially, I managed the organization’s social media accounts by creating content plans and designing graphics.

About a week into my internship, I began Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work for clients, which taught me about algorithms, digital marketing, and communication in the business world. I also worked alongside a professional web developer who delegated tasks about CMS and open source software customization.

Jesus Lopez ’24 — First, I would like to thank Wabash College and the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program (WLAIP) for funding my internship. I would also like to thank Dr. Horton and Dr. Pittard for their guidance and help through this course. The WLAIP helped prepare me for my first year of college at Wabash. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Roy Kaplan for helping me find this internship opportunity. Without their help, I would not have been able to work closely with my old high school.

This summer, I can work alongside IDEA Public Schools in their Child Nutrition Program. IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This internship allowed me to learn how high school cafeterias operate. For example, I visited my old high school for a week to get an idea of how managers work and what they specifically do. During that first week, I learned how important it was to have every requirement fulfilled to operate. Also, I revised audits from other IDEA schools around the country. Even though I worked virtually from home, I still had a unique experience and met tremendous individuals along the way that helped make everything run smoothly.

This internship gave me a sense of responsibility and the ability to be flexible with how I went on with my day. I had multiple different projects that I have been working on that affected how high school cafeterias operate. For instance, I overlooked the budgets and prices of tools in high school cafeterias. I had to pay extra attention to the documents I handled since the cafeteria’s operations depended on it.

Francisco Jimenez ’24 — First, I would like to start by thanking the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program (WLAIP) for funding this amazing opportunity. I would also like to thank Wabash Alumni Bill Butcher and Dr. Roy Kaplan for connecting and helping me through the process of acquiring my internship at Camp Grier in Old Fort, North Carolina. Without Wabash, everyone mentioned above, and everyone involved in helping me build the professional career I would never have been able to acquire such a rewarding, personal, and public service-based internship.

As stated earlier my internship this summer is as a counselor in Camp Grier in Old Fort, North Carolina. To many, this may not seem like a big position, but the amount of responsibility and the personal and professional growth that this job has offered are immeasurable. As a camp counselor I have supervised and managed activities for campers as well as any situations or emergencies that develop throughout their time at camp. This job requires and has taught me the flexibility and a vast array of speaking/interaction skills as I interact with children of all ages and all walks of life. My time here has taught me about the importance of teamwork and time management to ensure that campers have the best experiences at camp. Furthermore, I have honed in on my patience, self-control, persistence, and empathy skills as all of these things have been vital in my interaction with my campers.

However, unbeknownst to me, this position would teach me new perspectives in life about people, child development, and the overall need for positive role models in the lives of children. I have witnessed children who have such a self-kept and tense perspective slowly shift, come out of their shells, and become happy towards camp activities. I have witnessed first-time campers enjoy their time at camp and shift from the “I never wanted to come” mentality to the “I can’t wait to come back next year” one. I have witnessed children of two different walks of life come to understand each other, create amazing friendships, and understand different cultures/perspectives. Most of all I have had parents come and thank me asking “How did you do it?” since they could not explain the transition that their child had undergone in one week. That’s the beauty about this job, the small yet impactful interactions that I have been part of and witnessed have made me appreciate and understand the need for good people to teach the next generation and guide them. I have enjoyed being of service to a community that provides children with memorable summers in a year of a pandemic, tension, and chaos.