Mckenzie Campbell
Staff Writer

It’s a new year. The semester has only just kicked off, but summer break is slowly creeping up. While the long-awaited break is sometimes spent vacationing on beaches, or hiking across rough terrain, it’s also a good opportunity to be productive professionally to gain lasting experience for the future through internships and Campus Greensboro is willing to help. The Campus Greensboro Program Director, Lizzy Tahsuda, met with eager UNCG students at the end of January in the Elliot University Center who were ready to find out more about what exactly the program has to offer.

In short, Campus Greensboro is a flagship program committed to bringing awareness to career opportunities and preparing college students for the professional work environment in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

In order to do this, during the months of May through July, Campus Greensboro prepares a summer initiative called the Campus Greensboro Summer Fellows Program.

From business, healthcare and even creative opportunities in theater and art, the Summer Fellows Program provides over 172 part-time and full-time internships from 60 different organizations. These internships are located exclusively in Greensboro and are bound to satisfy most students in their search for experience. 

 “Students don’t even know what jobs are here [in Greensboro],” said Tahsuda. “And then they leave [Greensboro] and we don’t bridge that gap. We want to bridge that gap and we know that through internships that’s going to be a great way for people to not only gain professional experience, but also to get to know their community as a professional outside of just being a student.”

Unfortunately, students sometimes feel they are being exploited when it comes to unpaid internships. Tahsuda said the Fellows Program wants to change that by showcasing paid opportunities from innovative organizations that wish to see their interns flourish.

“All of our internships are meaningful,” said Tahsuda. “What that means is that they’re project based. They’re not fetching coffee; they’re not making copies. The point is for you to get real experience that you can take that’s tangible so that you can move forward and make that right connection with an employer.”

Through the help of mentors and employers, Campus Greensboro yearns for each student to grow both on a professional and personal level to create lifelong relationships and positively impact the Greensboro community in the future. 

“We want it so you feel like when you graduate you have someone to pick up the phone and talk to about a job opportunity versus just sending what can feel like a blackhole of online applications,” said Tahsuda.

To apply to the Campus Greensboro Fellows Program, visit www.campusgreensboro.org. All Campus Greensboro Summer Fellow Program and summer internship applications are due Feb. 17 at 11:59 p.m. 

Categories: Features

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