Now is the time where many students are beginning to worry over what internships they should apply for and when to start searching. Internships can be super important for students and help them to reach their career goals by learning new skills and meeting people to help guide them on their journeys. At Cabrini University there are many ways for students to start looking into available internships to apply for.
At the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD), students can meet with someone who can help them to find internships to apply to, form resumes and write cover letters. The CCPD also sends out career blast emails to students keep them updated on available career opportunities.
“I would utilize the career blast sent out to all students,” Shakeyia Kersey, interim director at the Center for Career and Professional Development at Cabrini, said. “Every student receives an email that our office sends out that lists all upcoming career fairs, networking events and job source portals so students can to and search for jobs that meet what they’re looking for.”
Shakeyia Kersey encourages students to meet with someone in the CCPD office, go to careers events, and even simply talking to relatives about possible opportunities.
“The sooner you apply the better,” Kersey said. “Try to apply by the end of May because if you wait after that all of the good opportunities will be filled up.”
Kersey also wants students to know If they don’t see an opportunity posted in the career blast, it does not mean it is not available. The CCPD is unable to post every position available so if a student does not see a specific position, they should go and talk to someone in CCPD or they can use Careershift or Jobsource.
“I’ve been talking to the center for career and professional development to make sure my resume is up to date,” Taylor McColgan sophomore and psychology major at Cabrini said. “I’ve been glancing at job sources on the webpage for the Center for Career and Professional Development which has been really helpful.”
When students dive into the world of internships, the opportunities only help students expand of themselves and their possible career paths that could shape their futures.
“I was placed at my internship through one of my Social Work professors.” Sam Sheridan senior at Cabrini said. “Being an accredited university for Social Work Seniors in the program we need to complete 400 hours of a field placement in order to graduate with a BSW, so it’s mandatory that we collaborate with our professor to find a location that will work for the whole year.”
Sheridan’s internship at Elwyn Behavioral Health at Holly Hall which allows him to work with students Therapeutic Afterschool Program (T-ASP) for children ages 5-21 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or children with emotional support needs. For the first half of the day his work mostly consists of paperwork, data, filing, occasional observations and other office maintenance. For the second half of the day he becomes an aide in one of the classrooms and helps take daily progress notes for the kids and data to see if their individual goals are being met. The focus of the T-ASP as a whole is to increase the children’s socialization skills.
“I’ve always had a desire to work with and help children, so it’s definitely helping my career through that lens,” Sheridan said. “Overall, the internship has been great consistent exposure to a professional work environment and working directly with clients, which is probably the biggest takeaway that’ll help me as I move on to future careers.”
