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 Ģ������ƵStories      January 22, 2025

By Cam Adams

The State Employees Credit Union Public Fellowships Internship Program has been a mainstay at Ģ������Ƶ for the past few years. And thanks to a grant, the program will continue to thrive in 2025. 

The SECU Foundation issued the program a $110,000 grant, including $10,000 as a supplementary fund.

“It’s great because we’ve had this for several years at this point, and every time we get it, we have so many exciting stories from students who talk about how much they’ve gained from it,” said Erin Waddell, assistant director of experiential education in WCU’s Center for Career and Professional Development.

Since 2017, the SECU Public Fellowships Internship Program has connected undergraduate students with internships. Through those internships, Waddell has seen students solidify their commitment to their passions and other students take a different career path.

Waddell is hoping the program can expand more to students who are juniors and seniors and awareness of the program will increase.

“This grant allows students to find their passions through the different internships for whatever they would like to do in the future,” Waddell said. “That’s the most exciting part of the grant because it opens up opportunities.”

The program is available for students studying sociology, psychology, political science, history, world languages, anthropology, philosophy and religion, communication and English.

Interns are required to “perform 300 hours at their internship site and participate in professional development sessions at the Ģ������ƵCenter for Career and Professional Development to help hone in on their skills,” according to the program’s page.

Students also must have a cumulative 2.5 GPA, be a North Carolina resident, discuss their career goals and the impact of those goals in an essay and demonstrate previous commitment to civic engagement and/or community leadership.

Applications for summer 2025 are open until Feb. 14.

“I think the main thing for this internship program is a lot of students think you already have to have an internship, but really you don't have to have anything,” Waddell said.

“You just have to want to do an internship during the summer, so if you have that passion, then just come on by and apply for the program, and we can help you find that internship that suits you.”