Every year, Berea College makes it possible for students to have extraordinary pre-professional experiences. We are able to do so through the same generosity that makes possible Tuition Promise Scholarships, which enable every student to attend with little or no tuition costs. Some of our students share their experiences this summer expanding their skills on-the-job.
For more information about internships available please contact internships@berea.edu or to make a gift visit legacy.berea.edu/give/.
“This internship is giving me the opportunity to work in a professional research setting and utilize state-of-the-art equipment and technology. I have been assigned a research project in conjunction with my supervising scientist. This project will cover subjects such as process biochemistry, microbiology and chemical engineering.” – Lauren Heller, Alltech Inc.
James McCarthey
“I am part of a dynamic team that cooperates in discovering answers to many different questions that revolve around diabetes. My purpose is to learn from real problem solvers and conduct experiments that will uncover the underpinnings involved with this nationally relevant disease.” – James McCarthey, Hal Moses Aspirnaut Program at Vanderbilt
“My position is Supervisor of Concessions and on any given game day, I am in charge of managing and supervising anywhere between 8-12 concessions stands. Fun fact: Dodgers fans consume over 3.5 million hot dogs every baseball season! Go Dodgers!” – Erika Holbert, Levy Restaurants, Dodgers Stadium
Erika Holbert
Anna Reich
“I am currently working with Starfish International, which is a school in The Gambia, West Africa that focuses on girls’ education and girls’ empowerment. The summer here is split up into two different parts: Summer 1 and Summer 2. For Summer 1 I taught English 101 and CPR/First Aid. For Summer 2 I will be teaching Peer Health and Photography. I work each day with the students, helping them with anything they need help in, along with teaching my daily classes. The students here range from ages 12-18 years old.” – Annie Reich, Starfish International
Jessica Schroader
“I’m working with the curator to set up new exhibits involving the creation of the battleship in 1944 to the second decommissioning after the gulf war in 1992. The Missouri is a battleship where many historical events took place, including the Japanese surrender of WW2. I am specifically learning the many ways to tell this story to the public through the artifacts of the sailors that called this ship home. I am also working towards setting a new preservation standard so the objects and archives will be preserved for the years to come.” – Jessica Schroader, USS Battleship Missouri Memorial, Pearl Harbor
“At State of Fitness, interns get the opportunity to shadow, participate, and cue training sessions as the internship progresses. I have been able to take part of conditioning sessions, semi-private sessions, sports performance academies, and mobility sessions. Having worked with each of the eleven trainers, has opened my eyes to the several different, yet similar, teaching tactics that every trainer has to offer. Besides watching how training sessions take place with the members, I have also had the opportunity to go behind the scenes and understand how training programs at state of fitness are developed and why such training tactics are used and implemented in the gym facility. I have also developed a friendship with each of the members that I have worked with, so much that whenever they arrive for their training session I can say things like “Hi Albert, how’s your shoulder doing today?” Because I KNOW that albert had a shoulder problem last week! It’s been simple things like this that have really made my experience at State of Fitness even more enjoyable!” – Sylvia Cabrera-Aispuro, State of Fitness
Silvia Cabrera-Aispuro
“My internship roles include working with youth from ages 6-13 in supervising recreational trips, being the leader of the academic skill building which incorporates educational activities, computer literacy, and physical education. On the other hand, one of my other roles will require me to work professionally with the director on planning service projects for the community, assisting with the leadership meetings. and doing everyday business work such as assisting at the front desk and working on assignments assigned by my supervisor.” – Adriana Williams, Cincinnati Recreation Commission
“This summer, I am interning with Revolution Pictures, which is a video production company in Nashville. Revolution Pictures has been an active force within the video industry for nineteen years and has produced many popular videos in the past. This include the music video for Jesus Take The Wheel by Carrie Underwood, You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift, and Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, commercials for brands like Starbucks and Kentucky One Health, and many other videos.
Megan Yocum
During the first week of my internship, Revolution Pictures sent their interns on an all-expense paid trip to Louisiana to film a video for a potential television show on A&E. While there, we were housed in a guest farm house owned by the Robertson’s from Duck Dynasty. Since then, we have worked on multiple video sets. I have worked in the office as well, editing multiple videos for clients of the company, helping cast talent, working with After Effects for clients of the company, reading screen plays and critiquing them, and creating a social media strategy for the company.
Overall, I have learned so much while I have been here. The best part is that I still have time to learn more and to gain more knowledge of the industry. I am extremely grateful for this internship and for Berea for allowing these opportunities to occur.” – Megan Yocum, Revolution Pictures
DeRon Young
“I am working at the headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the President’s Executive Office. I have been working on the Health initiatives doing vital social and political research in the areas of obesity, chronic disease prevention and HIV prevalence. I was also tasked with creating toolkits and health advocacy instructional books that will be distributed to the NAACP’s chapters nationwide, reaching upwards of a half a million member. Other duties include prepping for the National Convention in July and speech-writing for the NAACP President.” – DeRon Young, NAACP
“As an equine intern at the Kentucky Horse Park, I work in all of the barns and the farrier shop, with draft horses, retired racehorses, and breeds of horses from around the world. This photo is of me and Be A Bono, a retired Racing American Quarter Horse. I’ve recently started showing him and a few other retired racehorses is the Hall of Champions daily presentations, in which we tell a little about their racing careers and allow the audience to take pictures.” – Katlyn Yates, Kentucky Horse Park
Katlyn Yates
Bruce Plowshay
“This summer I am a visiting intern at the University of New Mexico Cancer Research Facility, continuing my interest in cancer research in the area of targeted therapeutics and translational medicine. Working alongside assistant professors, and under the direction of Renata Pasqualini, PhD and Wadih Arap, MD, PhD, we are looking into a therapeutic targeting intestinal cancer.” – Bruce Plowshay, University of New Mexico Cancer Center
Monica Moran
“I am currently working as a summer intern in the neuroscience lab at Vanderbilt Medical Center as part of the AspirnautTM program. This is my fifth summer in this program, however this is only my second in the neuroscience lab. In this lab we are dealing with neurotoxicology in correlation with Parkinson’s disease.” – Monica Moran, Hal Moses Aspirnaut Program at Vanderbilt
Heather Phillips
“After my morning routine of moving dogs, cleaning kennels and feeding dogs, I get to spend my day playing with puppies. I also get the opportunity to work with working dogs who are trained for many different things such as basic obedience, protection or detection.” – Heather Phillips, Dogs by Andy K-9 Service
“My job is to assist the veterinary staff through the day with a variety of tasks, including vaccinations, physical examinations, surgeries, and promoting overall animal health. SVVS is the only animal hospital certified to care for injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife in the Southwest Virginia area. A little buck had some injuries that we cleaned and bandaged. He was also severely dehydrated, so I sat and gave him some subcutaneous fluids to help him get on the road to recovery. It’ll be a long road for him, but it’s the little ones that always seem to want to fight for life! And who are we to not give them the chance?” – Morgan Stacy, Southwest Virginia Veterinary Services
Morgan Stacy
This summer I am participating in the Vanderbilt Aspirnaut Summer Research Program located in Nashville, TN. I am working in the Nephrology and Hypertension branch of the Medical Research department in the lab of Dr. Ambra Pozzi. I am working on a project transforming bacterial cells with discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR-2) DNA that will later be used as a control to find an inhibitor for discoidin domain receptor one(DDR-1) . By inhibiting DDR-1, we hope to inhibit the build up of the extracellular matrix, therefore inhibiting kidney fibrosis and kidney disease.” – Amber Follin, Hal Moses Aspirnaut Program at Vanderbilt