Kate

Kate is a rising college senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is double majoring in Economics and Global Studies and minoring in Statistics and Analytics. This past summer, she has been based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has been working with Chrissy Tillery, Vice President of Research and Evaluation, Thomas Cech, Associate Director of Research and Evaluation, and Emily Jeffries, Associate Director of Government Relations. Her work has mostly been involved with cleaning and merging data from the NCCEP Advocacy surveys, which will be used for advocacy work in the future. She has also been helping document the Annual Conference and reading into GEAR UP grants. 

Kate learned about the NCCEP internship through her mother, who was a director of a GEAR UP program. Growing up, she was able to witness the work that GEAR UP did for students all over the country and was inspired by it. In addition to the effects of GEAR UP, she realized that this internship would allow her to develop her data and research skills, so she knew she wanted to apply for the internship opportunity.

Kate’s favorite part of the internship was the Meet the Pets session during the Annual Conference. She enjoyed the Pet Trivia Kahoot game, where she realized how little she knew about animals. She also had a lot of fun seeing everyone’s pets and showing off her dog. Although the virtual internship has made it difficult for Kate to connect with her coworkers as she would in person, she appreciated the flexibility that it allowed.

Outside of the internship, Kate has been working at the Student Recreation Center on the UNC campus and virtually working at the Vice Chancellors Office of Research as a Service Center Accounting Technician. She also took a summer course and spent a week in Europe. In between her busy schedule, she also spends time with her dog Luke, who is her walking, hiking, and running companion. Kate will be continuing her internship with NCCEP into the fall. 

Izzy 

Izzy is a rising high school senior at the Notre Dame Preparatory School. She is still unsure about what she wants to study but is looking forward to exploring different majors in college. This past summer, she has been residing in Baltimore, Maryland. Izzy has been working in the communications department with April Bell, Director of Constituent Relations, and alongside her fellow intern Paige. Her work has mainly involved researching and writing grant opportunities for the blog. 

Izzy heard about the internship from her school’s ‘WINternship’ director Mrs. Barbara Mantler. WINternship is a program that partners eligible students with shadowing and internship opportunities under successful women in various professional fields. Izzy decided to apply after learning about NCCEP’s mission to help underserved individuals pursue higher education. 

Izzy’s most memorable experience was attending the 2021 GEAR UP conference and hearing Dolores Huerta speak. She remembered learning about Dolores Huerta in her AP U.S. History class this year, and she thought that that she was amazing and made such a meaningful difference. When Izzy heard Huerta speak, she fangirled on the other side of the screen. In terms of her virtual internship experience, Izzy disliked the amount of screen time, which gave her headaches. At the same time, she really enjoyed the comfort of wearing her pajama pants and working from her room.

In addition to the internship, Izzy has been lifeguarding at the Hampton Pool and playing volleyball for both the Masters Volleyball Academy and her school’s varsity team. During her free time, she enjoys listening to Taylor Swift’s “masterpiece of an album Folklore” while making crafts. She also taught herself to name of all 50 states in 15 seconds. 

Paige 

Paige is a rising high school senior at the Notre Dame Preparatory School. In college, she plans on majoring in Economics and minoring in French. After college, she hopes to attend law school. During the internship, she has been living at her home in rural Maryland.

Like Izzy, Paige learned about the NCCEP internship through Mrs. Barbara Mantler under the WINternship program. She was drawn to the research and writing opportunities offered through this internship position, so she decided to apply. Paige has been working with April Bell, Director of Constituent Relations, and she has been working on grant research for the weekly NCCEP newsletter.

Paige has particularly enjoyed taking courses on the NCCEP StudyLab platform. Although they are intended for education professionals, she have found the courses engaging and applicable to her own work. Although Paige found it difficult to form a personal connection while working online, she enjoyed the flexibility of the virtual internship and the ability to choose her own hours.

Aside from the internship, Paige has been preparing for college applications, visiting schools, and working on college essays. She is also taking Personal Finance, Macroeconomics, and Calculus at her local community college. Furthermore, she has been working part-time at a local therapeutic equestrian center and interning at Women in International Security Global. 

Jean

Jean is a rising college sophomore at Columbia University, where she intends on majoring in Economics-Political Science and minoring in Public Health. This past summer, she has been based in New York City. Jean has been working with Emily Jeffries, Associate Director of Government Relations, Kelly Pappas, Director of Career & College Clubs, and Danielle Walker, Associate Director of Programs. Her internship work has mostly involved writing for and editing the weekly Digest, creating Instagram and Twitter posts for communications, and reviewing curriculum documents for Career & College Clubs. 

Jean learned about the NCCEP internship from Jennifer Krasilovsky, her advisor in the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (JKCF). Through JKCF, Jean first-hand experienced the impact that funding and mentorship can have in one’s journey in education, so she understood the significance that NCCEP had on their students’ future. She also thought it was interesting to see how the GEAR UP program helped underserved individuals navigate through high school and the college application by selecting an entire school and helping all of the students within that school. Jean wanted to join the NCCEP team to support the mission of the national association, while learning more about the communications aspect of an organization. 

Jean’s favorite part of the internship was joining one of the CoolSpeak workshops for GEAR UP students. She joined without knowing what to expect from the event, but she was touched by the poems written by the students. She was very impressed by the poems they wrote in under five minutes, and after attempting to write her own poem with the GEAR UP students, she was inspired to continue to write and improve her poetry-writing skills. In terms of the virtual experience, Jean hoped to have in-person interactions with fellow interns and staff, but she also enjoyed the opportunity to intern at NCCEP while taking summer classes and living out her tourist impulses in New York City.

Outside of the internship, Jean has been taking Calculus III and Principles of Economics at school. She has also been exploring New York City as restrictions have begun ease ever since the vaccine rollouts. Her favorite parts of the city are the Brooklyn Bridge, K-Town, and Chelsea Market. She also enjoys looking for hidden cafes and bookstores.