WILLISTON, N.D. - Courtnei Robbins and Katie Hall will return to Gonzaga University this fall with internships from WSC under their belts. Robbins and Hall came to Williston along with thirteen other Gonzaga students to participate in the popular summer internship partnership Williston has with Gonzaga University.
Since 2013, Williston has hosted Gonzaga students each summer in a wide range of internships throughout the community, housing them in WSC's newest residence hall, Frontier Hall.
In addition to Robbins and Hall at TrainND and WSC, this year's interns have worked with Parks and Rec, CHI St. Alexius, Williston Economic Development, Strata, Furuseth, Olson, & Evert Law Firm, and Vector Control. One biology major is working on the protection of an endangered bird in the area.
Both Robbins and Hall were happy that each of their internships dealt directly with their majors and provided them real-world experience in their desired fields.
As a Business Administration (Concentration: Marketing and Operations/Supply Chain Management) major, Hall reported directly to the President's Office and Student Affairs at WSC.
"Operations/Supply Chain Management has a heavy emphasis on project management, and getting to work on so many projects this summer has obviously been a huge stepping stone towards my degree," stated Hall. "I have been fortunate enough to work with a majority of the departments that are currently on campus. Working with WSC's Marketing Department has allowed me to connect everything I've been learning in the classroom with actual experience."
Hall's responsibilities this summer included updating the website, helping with orientation days, assisting with events, taking minutes at Executive Cabinet, and making herself readily available whenever someone needed help.
Upon graduating in May 2017, Robbins plans on expanding on her psychology degree in graduate school to focus on child psychology. As TrainND's Community Education Intern, Robbins was solely in charge of the six-week summer program, Kids College.
The weeks where Robbins was not running Kids College, she stepped into other roles with TrainND and created next summer's Kids College agenda.
"I have previously worked with younger children, and this position fortunately gave me the opportunity to interact and observe older children," explained Robbins. "I was intrigued by the Williston and Gonzaga Internship program because it offered me the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone by working in an unfamiliar location, while moving into a leadership role in my desired field."
Both Robbins and Hall were excited about the adventure of a summer spent in Williston.
"I'm a huge fan of experiencing new places and cultures, and I figured, 'Why not try something completely different?'" Hall said. "I really liked the idea of getting to spend a summer with other Gonzaga students. My roommate and I were referring to this summer as 'Study Abroad 2.0.'"
"I really enjoy the community of Williston," Robbins stated. "Everyone here is very friendly and appreciative. I felt welcome in this small but growing town."
From networking to considering a career in higher education, Robbins and Hall will both take home a new perspective on their career paths as they complete their internships on August 5th and return to Spokane, Washington to finish out their senior years.
For additional information regarding the Gonzaga Internship, please contact Caitlin Pallai caitlin.pallai@willistonstate.edu
For additional information regarding WSC, please visit www.willistonstate.edu,
call 1.888.863.9455, or stop by 1410 University Avenue, Williston, ND.