Michelle Axe '15 - Nationwide Children's Hospital

Name: Michelle Axe
Class Year: 2015
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemistry minor
Hometown: Marysville, Ohio
Internship: Intern at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Emergency Department
Location: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

Internship Responsibilities: 

As an intern in the Emergency Department, I enroll eligible patients in research studies being conducted by the hospital. This requires knowledge about the various studies, as well as data entry for the studies.

What I learned: 

This internship has really advanced my medical knowledge. I have access to patient charts to aid in determining eligibility for studies, and a great amount can be learned from these charts. I’ve also learned how to effectively communicate with patients, families, and health care providers in busy, high stress situations. My internship at Nationwide Children’s has been a wonderful experience, and has further solidified my desire to pursue a career as a physician.


Advice about searching for an internship: 
Talk to your professors! I found out about this internship through Dr. John Tansey. It was not posted anywhere, and previously the program has only had interns from OSU. Talking to your professors can provide opportunities you might not find on your own.

Advice on how to make the most of an internship experience: 

Make an effort to learn something new each and every time you’re working. Each time I go to Children’s, I learn something new from reading through the charts and I also get the chance to participate in research and better my communication with both patients and families.

Sarah Uhlenbrock - Children's Hunger Alliance

Name: Sarah Uhlenbrock

Class Year: 2015

Major: Allied Health

Hometown: Cinncinati, OH

Internship: Children’s Hunger Alliance

Location: Columbus, OH

Internship Responsibilities:

Twice a week, I went to an inner city elementary school, where I held a class on nutrition, and I showed them how to eat healthy with a low budget, and I brought a snack with me to show them healthier options. Once a week, I would go to the office and do paperwork in regard to their performance, pre- and post-tests from nutrition, and their attendance.

What have you learned: 

I have learned that I do not want to work in a non-profit sector, which is just as important as figuring out what you want to do. Since it was an inner city school, with most students being of a minority, I also learned a lot about their culture, particularly Somali.

Advice about searching for an internship: 

Take advantage of the resources we have on campus. Ashley and Ryan are really helpful with the programs they hold around campus, and use the CardinalCareers website. Also, just asking professionals in the field you are in, especially professors, is a huge help.

Advice on how to make the most of an internship experience: 

Going above and beyond what they’ve asked of you. If it’s a true internship, they should be letting you experience different parts of the job, like working with the other employees, and not just the person who hired you. Try to keep the connection afterward, and mostly just try and keep up a positive attitude. Just because it’s unpaid doesn’t mean it can't be a valuable learning experience.

Kathy Kelly Long - Broad Street Food Pantry

Kathy Kelly Long is the pantry manager at Broad Street Food Pantry. She oversees all of their operations, coordinates volunteers, and works on fundraising. Much of her time is spent ensuring that the pantry is stocked and communicating with the volunteers.

She likes to hire interns because students bring a different perspective, and they have different skills that workers at the Pantry don’t necessarily have, such as marketing or web design.

Interns assist in a variety of capacities. They work on special projects that are business, communications or nutrition related. Kathy said, “I usually have a broad area of need, and I work with students to apply their interests to our needs so that they can help us out.”

The Food Pantry takes students from other schools as well as Otterbein. Primarily, they have students from OSU, and sometimes they get students from Columbus State.

For Kathy, Otterbein is close to her heart. Her daughter is an Otterbein alum, and so that is what initially got her interested in Otterbein interns. Kathy said, “With our current Otterbein intern, her photography skills are much different than at other schools. There’s also more of an emphasis at Otterbein on service, and so students tend to understand the nonprofit world a little more.”

Kathy’s advice for students going through the interview and application process is that they should have a good sense of what they could contribute to the nonprofit world. They should be able to communicate their values, what they find important, and what they could bring to the organization.

During the actual internship, Kathy thinks it’s very important for the intern to communicate regularly with his/her supervisor. She also encourages interns to share their ideas if they have them.

If you are interested in doing an internship with the Broad Street Food Pantry, contact Kathy Kelly Long at kklong@bsfp.org

Ben Graber '15 - Willbros Engineering

Name: Ben Graber

Class Year: 2015

Major: Physics, Mathematics Minor

Hometown: Plain City, OH

Internship: Intern with Willbros Engineering

Internship Site: Willbros Westerville Branch

What your responsibilities were:

Assist with daily office operations, help out with any projects being planned. I researched the field of oil pipleine integrity and created a presentation on a common corrosion protection method, cathodic protection. I investigated fields that Willbros could expand into, organized a tour of Ashland labs to set up a testing agreement with them and interviewed Willbros staff from all aspects of their company to gain a better understanding of the company and a career at Willbros.

What you learned:

I learned a lot about the ideas and techniques used in the field to protect oil pipeline as well as many of the economic and political realities that wither restrict or are the driving force behind this field.

Advice on looking for an internship:

Investigate and ask everyone in your network if they have any connections or know of any opportunities. You might be very surprised on who actually comes back to you with a good lead!

Advice on how to make the most of an internship:

Be bold and step up when it comes to being a part of opportunities that will allow you to learn and gain the most experience from your internship! Don't let them forget you are there or underestimate what you can do for them as well