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The goal of many students when they land an internship is to learn, grow and maybe even become a working member of an organization’s team. This year, ���ϲ�����’s Campus Alamance is putting that goal front and center with the theme of “Campus Alamance Contributes.”

Embedded in the community

Campus Alamance launched in 2021 with 14 students and has grown to more than 40 this year. Sponsored by the Student Professional Development Center and the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, it helps to connect ���ϲ����� students with internships in the Alamance County community and strives to create a jobs pipeline. This year, the program is putting an emphasis on students becoming active, contributing members of the organizations they are working with.

“This has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, especially being able to reach my goal of helping people and being a source of joy,” said Jordan Smith ’25, who is the Burlington Police Department’s first crisis counseling intern.

The sociology and anthropology double major has been working alongside BPD’s embedded crisis clinician helping those who are experiencing mental crises and connecting them with resources in the community.

“I was a certified EMT for about four years, so I did get to see some of that side of emergency response, but not mental health and not on this scale,” said Smith. “Getting to talk with these people and help them come out of a crisis is really rewarding. It does have a sad side because you don’t want to see someone in that situation but, a lot of times, they just need somebody to talk to.”

A scholar in ���ϲ�����’s Odyssey Program and a Health Professions Scholar, Smith was initially concerned she would be uncomfortable at the police department, but she quickly fit in, thanks, in part, to her supervisor, who has allowed the experience to be hands-on.

“Jordan is phenomenal. She’s so enthusiastic and brings a lot of joy when she comes in,” said Samantha Mitchell, BPD’s embedded crisis clinician. “I hope that the internship gives her a better understanding of how mental health can pair with law enforcement and first responders for the greater good of the community.”

This has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, especially being able to reach my goal of helping people and being a source of joy.

-Jordan Smith ’25

Serving a purpose

The students participating in Campus Alamance internships are thankful to put their ���ϲ����� education to use.

“In school, you’re sometimes solving problems that don’t exist. At this internship, I’m doing something that serves a purpose and is going to be used by people,” said Mason Cormany ‘25, a computer science major who is working with , a nano brewery in Gibsonville, North Carolina.

Cormany and fellow ���ϲ����� classmate David Mataconis ’25 are developing software to help the company with its processes, including scheduling beers and checking inventory.

“The ability to do things on our own is cool,” said Mataconis, who is also studying computer science. “The owner told us his expectations and threw us in. It was scary at first, but he let us do it how we wanted to do it. The ability to make something from scratch is awesome, you don’t really get to do that a lot in computer science, a lot of it is maintaining stuff or updating things.”

“Mason and David have been a joy to work with,” said Praveen Karandikar, the owner of Toasty Kettlyst. “Their analytical skills, problem solving and being able to visualize the problem statement has been very impressive. Their sense of team, adjusting and pivoting as the design requirements evolved, working towards the end goal of a working solution has been a tremendous asset to this project at Toasty Kettlyst Beer Company.”

The internship has allowed both Cormany and Mataconis to get experience in their field before graduation and build upon their ���ϲ����� education.

“Learning how to problem solve is a big aspect of computer science and a lot of this programming is problem solving,” said Cormany. “The hardest classes at ���ϲ����� are the ones that make doing things like this at Toasty Kettlyst easy.”

Reaching their fullest potential

Annie Elvin ’25 said her Campus Alamance internship as a community outreach intern for is giving her a firsthand look at a future career.

The nonprofit organization is the designated re-entry council for Alamance County, helping formally incarcerated people find and sustain employment. Elvin helps run the social media accounts for the organization and manage external communications.

“Annie was a pleasure to work with,” said Phil Bowers, founder and executive director of Sustainable Alamance. “She was a great listener, both to our goals and to the issues surrounding our clients. She then combined the two to build creative great messages that will be seen by many in our community, exactly what we were hoping for.”

A political science major, Elvin said her ���ϲ����� education has helped her understand the legal system better and become a contributing member of the Sustainable Alamance team.

“I enjoy what they’re doing and helping the community,” said Elvin. “I go in every day, but I’m not always in the office. Sometimes, we go to court to meet with clients or even teach GED classes at the jail. I like that it’s all around Burlington and I’m not just sitting in the office all day.”

This opportunity is Elvin’s first internship, and she said it’s been good to see real-world application of topics she’s learned in the classroom.

“My favorite part of my internship has been learning more about Alamance County,” she said. “Although I’ve lived in ���ϲ����� for almost three years, I knew very little about the community’s history and character outside of the university. I have loved getting to see all sides of Burlington and understanding how ���ϲ����� and its students can help the community reach its fullest potential.”

As Elvin thinks about her future, there may be a place for her at Sustainable Alamance, depending on funding. But she’s also talked with the organization about doing work on a freelance basis.

“I want to stay in North Carolina because that’s where my family is,” said Elvin, who is from Cary. “I’ve really enjoyed working for the reentry council and am passionate about what they do. If not in Alamance County, I’d still like to do similar work in a different county – I would want to do something that makes an impact in the community.”