Field Experience Showcase Highlights Internships

Elmira, NY (11/21/2019) — The Elmira College Office of Career Services recently hosted a Field Experience Showcase featuring student presentations on their internship and community service experiences.

The ten student presenters (seven presenters for internship and three presenters for community service) each presented on their experience to an audience and a panel of judges. The presentations focused on information about the organization, the student's role as a volunteer/intern, value of the experience, professional skills developed (soft and technical skills), and advice that they would give students regarding community service and/or internships. Presenters were judged on the information shared, and also on presentation skills such as eye contact, tone/volume of voice, enthusiasm, appearance, and use of time.

At the conclusion of the presentations, audience members voted for their favorite presentation, the Audience Choice Award, and judges chose the top internship and top community service presentations.

The winner for top community service presentation was Farrah Fiacco '22 who completed her community service with Southern Tier CA$H. Southern Tier CA$H (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) is an IRS sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, led by Arbor Housing and Development, offering free tax help to low-to-moderate income families and individuals, persons with disabilities, and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns, IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

Awards for the top three internship presentations were:

1. Elizabeth Foster '21 for Campus Vote Project, an organization that works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting.
2. Andreas Endresen '20 for Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, a center dedicated to advancing knowledge about human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases through research, training, services, and outreach.
3. Rebecca Cook '20 for Consortium for Humanitarian Service and Education, an all-volunteer non-profit dedicated to the goal of training responsible, competent responders for work in humanitarian aid, disaster response, international development, and related fields

The winner of the Audience Choice Award was Zackarie Stedge '21 who completed his internship with Trailblazers PAC, an organization focused on mentoring, supporting, and educating candidates, supporters, and interested citizens on local-level political involvement.

Each of the top students were presented with a certificate and Fiacco, Foster, and Stedge each received gift cards in recognition of their awards.

Judges for the event were Dr. Rebecca Johnson, EC assistant professor of adolescence education, Joel Stoker, EC lecturer in religious studies, and Ryan Alo, assistant principal for career and technical education, Waverly High School.

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