Pinball machines and a ping-pong table complementing software development deadlines may not be what you’d expect. But every job culture is different. Undergraduates are discovering just that – and learning where they’ll best thrive.

Xtern Software was the morning’s first stop on UNCG’s mid-summer “internships trek,” providing opportunity for UNCG staff to see interns in their day-to-day settings. This Greensboro company’s interns are all UNCG students, and more than 75% of their staff are Spartan alumni.

“We’ve had paid internships here since the very beginning. I’m very pro education, but I’m pro experience, too,” says Keir Davis ’00 MS, a computer science master’s graduate who created the company. “If you blend the two with having an internship, you have a really good chance of being successful.”

Andrea Bonola ’24 turned her 2023 internship there into a full-time developer position. A Penn School of the Arts graduate from High Point, she’s “a fan of giving back to the community,” and this business fits the bill. Its community service, where each employee teaches computer literacy at the United Way’s Family Success Centers, has earned accolades. She and Dom Simmons ’23, whose workspace is near hers – both of them with their backs to a Donkey Kong console and KISS pinball machine when a break is warranted – liked how they were able to “use all their muscles” in their internships.

Simmons at first did front-end work, but told Davis that design was an interest. “He allowed me to start making mockups, UI/UX (user interface/user experience) type things,” Simmons says. “I thought that was pretty cool – that I was not limited to what I was hired on for, but I got to branch off.”

Later stops on the internships trek included O.Henry Hotel, where rising junior Jasmyne Caudle learns different facets of the hotel business – mostly working with customers at the front desk. It’s part of her 600 internship hours that are mandatory for the Bryan School’s hospitality and tourism majors and complements two other summer jobs, so she can graduate with as little debt as possible. She loves bringing joy, she enjoys everything about travel and hotels, and her winning smile lights up the oak-paneled room.

At the final destination, Action Greensboro’s downtown office, Campus Greensboro fellows Ashley Oliva, a senior in finance and marketing, and recent graduate Mykaila Brown ’24 (sociology/WGSS) glow about the connections they’ve made over the summer. Student Engagement Manager Mary-Helen Kolousek ’23, who was a UNCG business administration and marketing major, noted that 27 of the summer’s fellows were Spartans – a new record.

Michael Reynolds, mentor and board member, Bryan School Hospitality and Tourism, with Caudle at the O.Henry Hotel front desk.

Power of paid internships

Some themes heard repeatedly during the day? Discover the type of work environment where you’ll thrive and where your ideals will be fulfilled. And never underestimate the value of an internship.

And yes, all the internships on the trek are paid.

“There’s been some paradigm shift over the past 20 years where now most internships are paid,” says Emily Linden, communications director at Xtern. Earlier, there were obvious inequalities in opportunity. Some students could not afford to take unpaid internships.

“It had ramifications in terms of who could (ultimately) do what job.” Lifelong and even multi-generational repercussions were the result.

Should a student quit their part-time job in order to pursue an unpaid internship that could transform their career prospects? At a University striving for greater opportunity for all students, should they have to?

Humanities at Work

For STEM and business majors, internship options tend to be relatively clear-cut: software development, human resources, lab research. Humanities majors, on the other hand, often have a harder go at it.

“We’re told all the time that internships are crucial, but actually landing one is tough,” says Wesley Britt ’23, a recent graduate of UNCG’s English Department. Britt reflects that he was involved in several clubs, received accolades, and served as a University Marshal. But after completing over 150 applications, Britt received responses from just two internship opportunities – both unpaid.

Many humanities majors can relate. Not only can internships be slim pickings, but if they do find a potential match, students majoring in philosophy or history, for example, can struggle to convince employers of their qualifications. They may have the skills employers crave – strong communication, critical thinking, and cultural awareness – but humanities majors still battle bias about their career-readiness.

Laying a new foundation

Excitingly, UNCG’s College of Arts and Sciences has broken ground on a new initiative to address these challenges. Called “Humanities at Work,” this innovative internship and educational program promises to bring 650 paid internships over five years to students majoring in one of the University’s nine humanities disciplines: English; history; philosophy; ancient Mediterranean studies; international and global studies; languages, literatures, and cultures; religious studies; women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; and African American and African diaspora studies. The internship program is funded by one of the largest grants in UNCG history – $5 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

“The project will not only provide hundreds of UNCG humanities students with high-quality, paid internship experiences,” says Chancellor Gilliam, “but it will also help them to articulate the value of their humanities degree to potential employers, translating to fulfilling careers.”

The program – often shortened to “H@W” – has an innovative model. Over one academic year, students will work in small groups on a guided, paid internship with local nonprofit partners. Simultaneously, they will also be enrolled in a Humanities at Work course. The class will help direct the students’ internship projects while also teaching them valuable skills for translating their humanities-based strengths into work beyond the classroom.

“The cohort model is one feature that sets Humanities at Work apart, even from other internship programs with a curricular element,” says Dr. Heather Adams, an English professor and a principal investigator on the project. “Instead of one intern, it’s a team, which enables students to learn from one another and become peer mentors.”

This group-based model also simulates professional work situations, while the course provides a space for students to make sense of any new and challenging experiences they might encounter “on the job.”

Student feedback has been infused throughout every phase of developing Humanities at Work. But to ensure success, such a program needs to consider the needs of employers, too.

That’s one reason why the H@W team has collaborated with the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium, a key partner in connecting interns and nonprofit sites. By coordinating efforts to interview, place, and train interns at these sites, the program hopes to take pressure off employers. Providing class time and guidance on students’ internship projects will further help nonprofits develop capacity to support their missions.

Another key to success? Working closely with Dr. Megan Walters in Career and Professional Development (CPD).

“Together, we’re making sure that what we’re building aligns with what businesses and nonprofits are actually looking for, while also meeting the needs of our unique student body,” says Adams.

Building for the future

While highly innovative in approach, H@W has its roots in a longstanding collaboration at UNCG: Liberal Arts Advantage (LAA). Started by UNCG’s Humanities Network and Consortium (HNAC) in partnership with CPD, Liberal Arts Advantage has been helping students communicate the value of their liberal arts education since 2017. It has spread its message through classroom visits, alumni networking opportunities, and workshops. Now, with Humanities at Work, it’s time to add paid internships – and the program’s novel curricular cohort model – to the mix.

H@W will launch its pilot semester this spring. The leaders have already secured three partner sites: The Greensboro History Museum, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, and Abundant Life Ministries.

And they’ve hired Lauren Shook ’15 PhD to serve as internship coordinator and instructor of the Humanities at Work course. A graduate of UNCG’s English PhD program, Dr. Shook knows firsthand the value of a humanities degree.

“I’m most excited about helping students advocate for their passions so they can live out meaningful careers and lives,” she says.

The pilot program will start with 15 students but will eventually expand to serve an estimated 650 students and 130 nonprofits over the Mellon grant’s five-year period.

Sustaining H@W past the grant’s five-year timeline is a top priority for the team. Through individual donations and supplemental grants, the team is confident that Humanities at Work will become a staple program of UNCG, one that other institutions will look to for inspiration.

“We know that access to a paid, high-quality internship can change the entire trajectory of a person’s career,” says Adams. “That’s why we’re working hard to ensure such opportunities are available to all UNCG students – humanities majors included.”

Careers and the real world

We caught up with Dr. Megan Walters, director of Career and Professional Development, as her office was preparing for another internship trek, this time to Syngenta, Furnitureland South, and Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.

“Our goal is that 95% of the internships we’re advertising are paid. Unpaid internships are a barrier,” she says.

How so? The majority of UNCG students have a part-time job. They need that paycheck to get by.

“Someone who had a paid internship in college receives, on average, a first job offer at a salary $20,000 higher than a person who had an unpaid internship,” she says. “That’s just comparing students who are paid and unpaid. That doesn’t even factor in students who had an internship versus those who didn’t.”

Conversely, Triad employers increasingly value their internship programs, Walters explains. “Of the Guilford County employers surveyed in 2023, over 50% said internships are a main source of their full-time recruitment goals.”

Employers in the Triad who’ve seen too many of their interns leave North Carolina upon graduation are upping their recruitment of interns from UNCG, she added. Their reason? UNCG data show many recent graduates want to stay in the Triad. As a matter of fact, 30,000 of UNCG’s 130,000 alumni live within 25 miles of campus.

Simply put, they want their interns to become employees and develop their careers here. Many Spartans want to build their lives here. It’s win-win.

Of course, many potential the internships are out of state: Chicago, Manhattan, Los Angeles. Adequate pay, to offset housing and transportation, is key for most UNCG students presented with that possibly life-changing opportunity. In some instances, her office can offer financial support. And that’s a key word.

“Our support is start to finish,” she says. “As soon as an incoming student registers for courses, they have full access to our office. And even after they graduate, for the first year they can meet with a career coach or use many of the resources we have. We know a person in their lifetime may switch – not just a job, but sometimes a career – five to seven times. We want them to know how to do that. We help students learn about themselves, about the world of work, and about the process of finding their way in that world of work.”

Volvo Group North America

Top left: (l-r) UNCG intern Lanie Hulin and past intern Zariah Ocean ’22, ’23 MBA; Top right: UNCG interns (l-r) Chase Sperka, Jenna Hawk, and Peter Worland.

Campus Greensboro

Above left: Student Engagement Manager Mary-Helen Kolousek ’23; above right: UNCG intern Mykaila Brown ’24 at Campus Greensboro Day; bottom: UNCG intern Ashley Oliva at Campus Greensboro Day.

Bryan School sets the pace

UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics runs full bore on the value of personal and professional development, which they’ve made a key part of the curriculum.

Their groundbreaking Blueprint Series has set a high bar. This four-credit undergraduate curriculum, with one course each year, accelerates business students’ development, equipping them with the skills needed to succeed.

It germinated after a discussion between then-Dean Mac Banks and corporate leader Lynn Eury, whose wife, Faye Eury, learned business skills as a 1956 graduate. Lynn Eury advocated for real-world preparation, having seen its importance for young graduates at the companies he has led. With the financial support of Lynn Eury, Volvo Group North America, and others, Blueprint – with its internships emphasis – has emerged as a shining star at the University.

Volvo Group, one of the top 12 largest employers in the Triad, is a key supporter of the Bryan School and the Blueprint Series. “UNCG has provided critical early talent and alumni for our organization,” says Karmen Meeks-Gray, their manager of university relations. In fact, about 180 UNCG alumni are employees, according to current data.

Zariah Ocean ’22, ’23 MBA started as a university relations intern on her team and was promoted to full-time employee last winter. Ocean stresses the value of paid internships. One key thing she learned? “The importance of taking notes.” It’s part of being prepared and well-organized.

This summer, Volvo Group hosted 143 interns at the Greensboro facility. One-tenth were Spartans.

Lanie Hulin, a rising junior, was one. The Denton, N.C., native works in brand marketing communications and has learned the value of building relationships. This fall, she is a team leader for a Blueprint course.

Each intern there spoke of key items they’d learned in the Blueprint series. UNCG’s Career and Professional Development office and the Bryan School had partnered to help determine the most impactful curriculum. Walters wishes the resources existed to have more such development at additional UNCG schools.

Humanities at Work could pave the way.

Where we’re headed

“Every generation has their own idea of what an internship is. What used to be fetching coffee for executives is now identifying a problem and solving it – and then becoming a full-time employee,” Walters says. “Internships are critically important, and UNCG students not only want them, but they need them.”

And it’s not just about a livelihood. It’s creating the life you want.

As intern Andrea Bonola at Xtern said about her employer’s community service, “Sure, it’s nice to make a lot of money, but it’s important to help build things up and work on stuff that’s going to be useful to people. It’s like two birds with one stone, right?”

That gets to the big picture, Walters notes. “A UNCG graduate is far more likely to be satisfied in their career if they find an opportunity that aligns with their interests, their strengths, their skills, and their values. And the best way to determine those things about yourself is to have an experience like this, an internship experience.”

There seem to be schools of thought.

“College is meant to prepare our workforce – that’s one. And college is meant to create educated citizens of the world – that’s another. It’s very common for a student to be asked, ‘What are you going to do with that major?’ Through our involvement with Humanities at Work, we’re excited to flip that question to: ‘Who are you going to be with that major?’”

Fact is, there’s more to who you are than your job, she says.

“But your work’s important. Simply put, a lot of human identity is wrapped up in your work.”