Tag: Internships

Two programs in need have created a valuable partnership indeed. Pressures brought on by COVID-19 have led to an innovative partnership that is providing a lasting impact for both Clemson University Recreational Therapy program students and an Upstate organization that serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Last fall, the Rainbow Gang, a free community leisure and activity-based day program in Anderson County that provides recreation services to adults with intellectual and development disabilities, was in the process of planning to bring back in-person activity options after a fully virtual spring. They quickly realized, however, that they lacked the resources to effectively provide both virtual and in-person programming that could equally address their participants’ needs.

At the same time, three students in the recreational therapy program at Clemson University lost planned internship positions because of the pandemic. The program, which had previously worked with the Rainbow Gang on a study exploring the benefits of yoga for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, approached Program Director Kathy Schofield for help.

“We received a call from the recreational therapy program’s internship coordinator offering internship support, including bringing a Ph.D. student to our facility to supervise them,” Schofield said. “This is just what we needed to build small group programming that could serve both our in-person participants and those who needed to continue to stay home, so no one would be without activity options.”

The result was an internship program called Tiger Wellness, with two undergraduate student interns supporting programming offered both in-person and online, and a third intern working virtually from Texas. The students were able to provide recreational therapy interventions two to three times a day, with activities focused on enhancing the group’s social, mental and physical well-being.

The recreational therapy program worked closely with their accrediting agency, the Commission on the Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education and their certifying body, the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, to ensure that accreditation and certification guidelines were followed and met, including providing an internship supervisor.

Although the Rainbow Gang already had a certified recreational therapist working on-site, she didn’t yet have the one year of experience needed at her current job to supervise interns on her own. Faculty member Marieke Van Puymbroeck Chancellor took on that role, with Ph.D. student Kaitlin Mueller acting as her assistant and providing mentorship support to staff at the Rainbow Gang’s physical location.

Darby Hinson, the Rainbow Gang’s recreational therapist, said the mentorship provided by Clemson faculty and graduate students proved to be a unique and invaluable byproduct of the partnership.

“Having the advice of a person who’s supervised interns before helped prepare me for hosting my own,” Hinson said. “The Tiger Wellness program started right when I was eligible to start my own internship program, so it was helpful to have someone model what an internship program could look like.”

The program has three new interns this spring, two of which are from Clemson. They are also working to expand their virtual program to reach other medically vulnerable participants in the community who are not able to visit the center or who do not qualify for the day program.

Van Puymbroeck said that she is proud of how the team worked together to create a meaningful and innovative experience for the student interns.

“Together, we were able to turn the challenges we were facing into an incredible learning opportunity for our students,” said Van Puymbroeck. “I’m also so proud of our students who were able to be flexible and to try new and creative approaches to patient care, which is beyond what they’ve learned in the classroom.”

END

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management is part of the University’s College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS). Established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in seven disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.

Clemson’s Outdoor Lab counsellors have taken their camp activities online to help campers continue to experience the joy of camp while also following the state’s social distancing requirements.

The lab offers several camp programs, including the Jaycee Camp Hope which serves people between ages eight to more than 60 years of age, with many of their campers having cognitive disabilities. Typically, the camp provides a series of daily activities that help campers develop independence as they learn to do things for themselves, including swimming, canoeing, fishing, drama, archery, crafts, pontoon boat rides, nature activities and overnight campouts.

Lab Intern Abreigh Youngblood, who is also a genetics major at Clemson, has been coordinating many of the camp’s virtual activities with her fellow counsellors while also leading some sessions herself. She says that the closure of the Clemson University campus, including the Outdoor Lab, has led them to find creative new ways to deliver camp programming during an unprecedented time when it’s most needed.

“We wanted to give our campers, who we love dearly, a taste of camp at a time when most of their normal activities are cancelled,” Youngblood said. “This gives them something to look forward to throughout the week and is a huge benefit to those of us who miss our campers. It’s awesome to see everyone’s smiles while we do something we enjoy together.”

The lab arranges several different activities once or twice a week. One of their camp counselors will volunteer to lead a specific activity and set up a Zoom meeting. They then send their campers the link and instructions about what they may need to in order to participate, such as an ingredient list for baking or supplies for a craft project.

So far, they’ve hosted sessions on everything from playing bingo to baking banana muffins. A typical session is attended by between 15 to 25 campers. Youngblood says the value of the online camp activities keeps revealing itself in different ways.

“These are tough times and it’s wonderful to see how our campers are responding to the sessions,” she said. “After a session we sometimes receive photos of the project we completed together – and we’ve all started to look forward to these sessions as much as they do.”

She added that it’s rewarding to see parents and caregivers get involved with the activities, knowing how much it means to their camper. Beth Allen’s daughter regularly attends the Zoom activities. Allen says that the e-camp gives her daughter something to look forward to while she’s safe at home, especially since all of her other activities have come to a halt. The camp sessions also provide a distraction for her daughter while she must be at her job in a hospital and her husband works from home.

“On one of her quiet days she had six Camp Hope Zoom meetings to look forward to and she is loving it,” Allen said. “She also feels very grown up that she has a Zoom meeting like her dad has. These simple activities are making a huge difference in her life right now.”

Leslie Conrad, director of the Clemson’s Outdoor Lab, said she’s been thrilled to see her counsellors’ creativity and ingenuity shine over the past few weeks, and is certain that the virtual camp activities are helping her and her staff just as much as they’re helping campers.

“Our campers are some of the most real and genuine people you will ever meet, so being able to ‘see’ them and interact with them during this time is very encouraging,” Conrad said. “We’re delighted to keep bringing a part of camp into their homes.”

###

Visit the Clemson Outdoor Lab website for details about its summer programs, including opportunities for family-friendly getaways during the summer.

By Nicolle Rebolledo, communications intern for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) at Clemson University, through the federal work study program.

This year, I was looking for a means to make money to cover my personal expenses as a student, as well as a job with flexible hours. Coming out of high school I had worked a few odd jobs here and there and even worked in a department store for over a year. Although I had some experience working, I was after some experience working alongside professionals that I could learn from.

Every year the U.S department of education awards more than 150 billion dollars in grants, loans and work study funds to college students that show financial need based on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). What sets a work study job apart from federal grants and loans is that it’s earned through part time employment with a school. As an architecture major, I was conflicted with the idea of sustaining a job as well as being able to excel in a time consuming major, however, a plus to this form of aid is that you’ll never have to pay it back and the earnings you make are dependent on how many hours you choose to work.

The trick to getting a work study position is to apply as soon as possible, the earliest being October. The sooner the better because generally aid is given on a first come, first served basis. In this case, the early bird always gets the worm.

The experience I had under my sleeve along with some software skills I had developed on my own made me a worthy candidate for a work-study job. Being a work study has greatly benefited me in many more ways than just financially and I’d like to share my experience as one.

About a month away from joining the Clemson family; I began applying to as many work study jobs available in just about every department. From the art departments teaching assistant to working at the botanical gardens, I found an endless amount of possibilities and applied to each one with excitement. Shortly after a couple days of nail-biting anticipation, I got a call from a sweet lady I’d later get to call my boss, Karin Emmons, former media resource specialist (retired). She noticed my resume included that I had ample experience with programs like Photoshop and InDesign, among other programs, and this made me a glowing candidate for becoming a communications intern in the PRTM department. I was hired!

I was easily able to design a work schedule that didn’t interfere with my classes and gave me sufficient time to study and work in the studio. Working in PRTM, I’ve been introduced to a different world within Clemson.  I’ve met incredible people that have shown me the ins and outs of this department. From office tailgates to interviewing folks that work in the department, you’ll be sure to become a part of the PRTM quickly.

During my time working, I’ve had extremely beneficial experiences that have helped me outside of the office. I remember during my first semester, I was tasked with editing a video for the department’s EDGE program, yet I had never laid a finger on video editing software. Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to receive one-on-one tutorials with Jan Lay, Clemson’s faculty training coordinator and instructor for Adobe Software. Not only did I gain knowledge and experience with video editing programs like Premiere Pro, but I also received tutorials to strengthen my Illustrator and Photoshop skills, among other programs.

“Work experience at any level while you’re in college is going to be a benefit,” says Megan FitzGibbon, manager of state scholarship programs at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. “Especially if it’s related to your degree.”

Being able to add work-related experience is substantially beneficial to your personal resume and I’m currently using it on mine to apply for summer internships related to my career.

To anyone considering applying for a work study job, my two cents of advice would be to work on your time management skills. I can’t stress this enough! Being able to manage your time between working and studying is crucial to sustaining both. At first you may find it tedious learning what to prioritize but quickly it will become second nature.

Having a working study job isn’t meant to feel like a juggling act. Instead, they’re rewarding opportunities aimed for students​ looking to earn extra money while building a resume. It has been a rewarding experience that has​ allowed me to polish my professional skills, earn pocket money, and most importantly gain meaningful experiences as a Clemson Tiger!

###

If you’re interested in applying to work study jobs, go to the Michelin Career Center. There you can you search positions with Clemson (on or off campus) that are tailored to your preferences and goals. Not only do they connect students and employers, but they also offer career counseling, resume reviews, information workshops, and other valuable job searching advice.

By Natalie Googer, Clemson University Junior and Clemson Event Planners Association (CEPA) representative responsible for the career fair.

The Clemson Event Planners Association (CEPA) is a student organization that plans events and engages students with the professional community. I became interested in the organization my sophomore year when I decided to pursue a career in event planning after graduation. I am now the Event Coordinator on the Executive Board for the organization.

The CEPA executive board plans events, coordinates with other on campus organizations, and brings in speakers from the event industry. CEPA has given me the opportunity to meet professionals in the industry, such as Jennifer Dennis from Love This Little City Event Coordination and Samantha Radandt, who owns B & R Events.

Being the event coordinator for CEPA has given me many opportunities to expand my experience in event planning. One of these great experiences was planning the PRTM Career Fair. This opportunity gave me real world experience working with the university, as well as outside vendors.

The CEPA/PRTM Career, Internship and Camp Job Fair took place on February 17, 2020, however, this is a project I have been working on since the end of last school year (2019). Planning an event is a long and detailed process. Planning the career fair gave me experience in the full process of creating an event. One of the things that I love about event planning is finally seeing the event come to life after I have worked on all of the little details for months.

For the fair I worked with members of the PRTM faculty, university personnel, and outside vendors. I worked closely with the Student Event Coordinator for Campus Life, Aysia Cooper. Working with Aysia was a unique experience, because she is a PRTM student as well. I enjoyed getting to work on this event with her, and put into practice some of the things we have learned in the classroom together.

I was also in charge of student volunteers and marketing to students. Marketing an event such as a career fair to students is crucial for the event to be successful. I decided that the best ways to market to students would be flyers around campus, a presentation with video, and most importantly social media. With the help of the PRTM communications team, we created a video that talked about the importance of the career fair, and some tips on how to be successful at the fair.

We interviewed PRTM students from different concentrations to cover a variety of experiences. This video was then attached to a PowerPoint presentation that was emailed to students and to faculty to share at the beginning of classes leading up to the career fair. The goal of the presentation and video was to encourage students to go to the fair, and be prepared to make connections. We also featured parts of the video and other stories from the PRTM blog on the PRTM Facebook and Instagram accounts, because we believe that students pay the most attention to marketing via social media.

Marketing this event to students is another experience that I know will help me in my future career. Knowing how to target a specific audience and market to that audience is a key part of a successful event.

Overall, planning the PRTM Career Fair was a great experience for me. I got to use practices that I have learned in my PRTM classes and practicum experiences to put on an event to help other Clemson students. I am thankful I had the opportunity to plan this event through CEPA, and am excited for how this experience will help me in my future internships and career!

###

The CEPA/PRTM Career, Internship and Camp Job Fair is an annual event that helps students meet employers in the field and network for practicums, internships or job opportunities. Learn more about the career fair, including participating employers.

By Natalie Googer, Clemson University Junior and CEPA representative responsible for the career fair.

Taylor Stewart is a senior PRTM major at Clemson University, with a concentration of Travel and Tourism. She attended the career fair last year and the connections she made helped her get a job as a fitness instructor at The Cliffs.

How did the career fair help you find your summer job at The Cliffs?

I originally did some research on The Cliffs (just looking for potential jobs that I would consider applying for in the future) and I saw them at the career fair, so I just went to discuss the job opening I saw that I was interested in (event management). The representative from The Cliffs was the head of the Health and Wellness department, so that struck a conversation about how I was about to get certified in group fitness and he got me connected with the right people to follow up with about teaching classes with The Cliffs.

How do you feel your practicums and internships have/will prepare you for your future career?

This didn’t necessarily help me get an internship, but this job has given me a lot of experience in the field, which will help getting a job in the future.

How did you follow up with The Cliffs after the fair?

Ryan from the career fair sent my information to the wellness leader of the Keowee Springs location, who is now my boss.

Why do you think going to the career fair is important?

I think it gives good exposure to talk to professionals and learn how to carry on a professional conversation. It allows students to practice how to “market” themselves to potential employers.

What is your advice for someone going to the fair looking for a job or internship?

Do research about the business you’re interested in before hand, so that you have something to start a conversation. They will also be impressed that you did the prep-work, and it shows good leadership.

###

The CEPA/PRTM Career/Internship and Camp Job Fair is on Monday, February 17 between 9:30AM and 1:00PM on the second floor of the Hendrix Center. Read more about the career fair, including which organizations are participating.

Grace Graves credits a career fair, and one of her Clemson professors, for helping her find her first job in the hotel and service industry. 

Grace graduated from Clemson University in 2017 as part of the first cohort with departmental honors for her major in parks, recreation and tourism management (PRTM). Although she had a job when she graduated, it was with an employer she almost didn’t connect with at a career fair organized by the department. 

“I had done all of my research on the companies I wanted to talk to before the career fair, but when I got there, I didn’t find anything I was super excited about,” she says. “I ran into one of my professors on the way out and told him I was feeling discouraged, and he encouraged me to talk to a hotel development and management company that had been added at the last minute.” 

Grace was a bit nervous to approach an organization she hadn’t researched in advance, but when she realized their representative was based near her home in downtown Spartanburg, they fell into easy conversation. Although they didn’t have any opportunities for her at the corporate office, the company was building a new hotel in downtown Spartanburg that needed people. She was encouraged to talk to the staff on site. 

“I wasn’t sure about approaching this organization at first because I didn’t know anything about hotels, but I did it anyway,” she says. “I’m so glad I did, because that conversation turned into a job that taught me so much – and that took me through the process of building a hotel from the ground up.” 

Grace started as an operations and sales intern. After her internship was complete, they hired her as their sales coordinator and soon promoted her to sales manager. The job gave her experience working with the area’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and Chamber of Commerce, and helped her apply her learning in several different PRTM areas of focus, such as tourism, events, sales, community relations and management. 

Although she’s since left the organization for a job in the higher education industry, she remains on good terms with her former employer and is interested in getting back into the service and hotel industry at some point. 

Grace says that career fairs are important, because they prepare students for real world interactions in a professional setting. She encourages students to talk to their professors both before and after the event, as they have valuable advice about how to make industry connections. She also says it’s important to ask for business cards and to contact the people you met after the event is over. 

Grace’s other career fair tips include: 

• Buy an “interview” outfit before the event that feels comfortable and professional. 
• Review the list of employers that are attending and highlight your top choices. Use a different color to highlight other organizations to talk to if you still have time. 
• Research each employer that you plan to speak with. Find three facts about the organization, and write three questions in advance. You can also brainstorm a short, relevant story about yourself that relates to the company or its goals. 
• Bring your printed resume and a notepad. You can also use your phone to take notes, but make sure you ask if they’re comfortable with you taking notes first. 
• Smile and have a firm handshake. Be confident and sell yourself. 
• Follow up with either a thank you note or quick email the same day, and make sure you refer to something that you spoke about so that they will remember your name and face. 

Above all, Grace says, it’s important to be open to ideas, experiences and opportunities. Career fairs give students opportunities that simply aren’t available after they graduate, and keeping an open mind can open doors to something unplanned, but rewarding. 

“Career fairs are a real, live in-person LinkedIn,” she says. “You’ll never get that many organizations in the same place again. The connections you make may not lead to something right away, but if you continue to take advantage of these opportunities, you’ll start to see doors start to open up for you over time.”

###

The CEPA/PRTM Career/Internship and Camp Job Fair is on Monday, February 17 between 9:30AM and 1:00PM on the second floor of the Hendrix Center. Read more about the career fair, including which organizations are participating.  

By Harrison Wall, PRTM Communications Intern

Going to the CEPA/PRTM career fair on February 17? Here are some tips to help you get the most from the experience.

Research companies that interest you

Before the career fair, you should select companies that they are interested in speaking with and do a little research on that company. Great places to look would be the company’s website or LinkedIn. This will give you confidence and also show that you are interested in the company. This may also help to narrow down your search, because you may find a little more about the culture of the company and some of their key values.

Use resources provided by the university

Clemson University has some great resources to use to prepare for the career fair, like the Michelin Career Center. Here students can attend resume workshops and even mock interviews.

The elevator pitch is something that each student should practice before going. This is a quick 45 to 60 second introduction that states your name, major, graduation date, and some of your aspirations.

I recently competed in an elevator pitch competition where students present to employers the value they could offer to the company and then connect by asking for an interview or employment opportunities. When presenting to an employer, saying something you find interesting about the company is always beneficial and shows the company that you have interest. Next, do not be afraid to ask what opportunities that the business has in the future, but also know what exactly you are looking for.

Ask questions

Asking questions can be beneficial to you as well as show the company you are with that you came prepared. Some great questions to ask would be:

• What is your role in the business?
• What kind of education/experience do you need to get into this field?
• What do you think the most important skills are for success in this field?
• What’s your organization’s culture like?
• What makes your organization stand out amongst the competition?
• How can I help you meet your goals?
• Would you like to keep in touch?

For the day of the career fair, you should have up to date resumes and between 10 to 12 copies. Remember to dress for success and if you do not have professional attire there is now an on-campus Career Closet students should check out.

I know personally that career fairs can be stressful, but by being prepared, asking questions, and knowing future goals the career fair can lead to some great opportunities for internships or a career after college.

This year there will be around 40 employers at the career fair, which will be held on February 17, 2020 in Hendrix Student Center. For a more detailed timeline, visit the PRTM career fair website.

###

Harrison Wall is currently enrolled at Clemson University as a Marketing major and a Communication Studies minor, graduating in December of 2020. He is a PRTM communications intern that assists with planning and generating content for social media.