By Nate West
News Assignment Editor
From 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday Nov. 8, the Career and Professional Readiness Center (CPRC) will host the second annual Internship Summit in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts,
The event will feature Laurie Branch, president and CEO of Iroquois Group, Inc. and a member of St. Bonaventure’s Board of Trustees, as the keynote speaker.
“She is very dynamic and very engaging,” said Connie Whitcomb, director of the CPRC. “She’s accomplished a great deal in her life, but she’s also so passionate about and committed to Bonaventure students. She’s just such a perfect choice because of her passion and commitment to students here at Bonaventure.”
Branch will be talking to students about what students can do to make the most of their internship once they have it. She’s titled her keynote “Impact Interning: How to make the most of your internship experience,” Whitcomb said.
Breakout sessions will follow for students and attendees to participate in. In the first session, discussions about service opportunities, international internships, preparation for graduate school and strategies for developing a professional resume with a panel of local employers. Students will be able to choose which discussion they would like to participate in, Whitcomb said.
The second breakout session will feature all of the internship coordinators from each school on campus. Dr. Wolfgang Natter, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, will talk about how to properly market your liberal arts skills. The second session will close with a discussion on how to find an internship, Whitcomb said.
Immediately following the keynote address, Whitcomb said there is going to be a little bit of fun.
“We have identified four students who are willing to serve as our makeover models,” Whitcomb said. “They’re going to be introduced to our audience as Bonaventure students. We’ll connect with them and about an hour and fifteen minutes later they will be transformed into career professionals.”
Attendees will meet the transformed models in the atrium of the Quick Arts Center during a meet and mingle following the breakout sessions. Also, at that time, attendees who pre-registered will have an opportunity to win prizes. All attendees will be eligible to win either a $100 or $150 prize, which will go toward building a professional wardrobe, Whitcomb said.
This is the second year the CPRC is hosting the Internship Summit. Last year, over 240 attendees of both students and faculty attended the event. Whitcomb says their goal is to have a great turnout this year as well.
“We’re hoping that students can walk away with some good information. We want them to identify some key resources which can assist them in finding internships,” Whitcomb said. “We really hope they leave motivated to jumpstart their internship search.”
