Local internships foster growth of North Park students.
作者:Kaprice - Dal - Cerro - ba - ' 15
From teaching second graders and helping young mothers to developing content for local day camps, North Park students discover their potential through transformative internships. These experiences help students grow professionally and personally and connect them to 芝加哥’s diverse communities. In the process, students find their place within the city.
“My number one goal and objective is that our students are around good leaders, whether they be pastors in churches or leaders of nonprofits because they need to learn from people,Bret Widman说, 情境与终身学习主任
在北公园神学院. “Helping people understand the king- dom of God and how God functions in the world is our primary goal, 成为这样的领导者.”
敬业的教职员工, 像韦德曼, serve as guides and inspirations as students face new challenges at their internships. 神学院 students can choose from 20 different internship partner sites in 芝加哥, 包括教堂和非营利组织.
Yoshhisa Tori Mack, 三年级的神学硕士学生, 在新妈妈实习, an organization that supports young mothers in 芝加哥. 实习给麦克带来了挑战, 开阔了她的视野, and showed her that she can find God in unexpected places. It reaffirmed her belief that real change happens when people listen, connect, and journey together.
“All I knew was a traditional church setting, being a church kid and pastor,” Mack said. “Being able to see God move outside of a Sunday morning service is what made me wonder, 神还在做什么呢? 对我来说，这是一个延伸和成长的点.”
伴随着成长的痛苦和紧张, students discover their unique skills and passions, 这会增强他们的自信心. Georgi Kyosev, 商务专业的大四学生, remembers being terrified at first about internships. But after interning with 2020 Companies, a marketing agency, he started to believe in himself.
“I learned that when you develop relationships with your team, 你建立了信任, 我觉得自己像个领导者,Kyosev说.
“North Park taught me to bring my confidence, strength, and skills. After this experience, I feel I can be a leader one day.——艾米丽·冈萨雷斯
阿里安娜瓦伦汀, an advertising major who worked as a marketing intern at Apachi Day Camp in 芝加哥, spent her time creating and sharing daily content about the happenings of the camp. “At the beginning of the internship, I was very intimidated,” Valentin said. “Being able to feel good about what I was doing was very fulfilling. If I never had this experience, I would not have connected with others in my field. 实习给我带来了清晰的思路和经验.”
丹·沃尔什, interim dean of North Park’s 教育学院, 帮助安排在城市学校实习. He says students often have preconceived notions about what it’s like inside those classrooms and often are pleasantly surprised.
“The student gets to experience the gratification of helping kids who need support,” Walsh said. “Having not had the experience until they walk into the classroom, they may have a perception of what their skill set is and what they want to do. That may change, and that’s why we like to give them options.”
“My number one goal and objective is that our students are around good leaders, whether they be pastors in churches or leaders of nonprofits because they need to learn from people.“布雷特·韦德曼
肖恩·邓肯，23届BA is now a second-grade teacher at Portage Park Elementary School. His time at North Park taught him that teaching wasn’t just a profession but a service.
“You learn to trust your experiences that got you where you are,” Duncan said. “I remember my first day stepping into Portage Park School.
今天对我来说很重要. I walked in, smelled the hallway, and thought, ‘I’m here!“我在我应该在的地方.”
艾米丽·冈萨雷斯, 商务专业的大四学生, interned with NorthShore University HealthSystem, where she worked on social media and digital campaigns.
“I was a nervous wreck going into this,” Gonzalez said. “我以前从来没有这样做过. I took on new challenges, created strategies, and implemented them.” She adds: “North Park taught me to bring my confidence, strength, and skills. After this experience, I feel I can be a leader one day.”
North Parkers who have had internships prove they aren’t merely about gaining job experience, but are about becoming leaders who will go on to make positive changes in 芝加哥 and beyond.