lntew fe4m about their" jumr,e M-~; g4in: vlltuabk expe~ em. tire jGb It has been said that experience is the best teacher. That is the conclusion that many students in the departments of Family and Consumer Science and Behavioral Science have realized. Both departments encouraged their students to seek real world experience before they finished college and entered the wo rkpl ace. Many students found this experience through internships . Interns reaped the benefits of learningup-to-the-minute information in an actual job setting. The internships often made the transition from college to career much eas ier. ''You just don't know exact lywhat you are getting into until you get out there, " said Michell e Hammond, instructor of Behavioral Science. "We encourage students to find internships in the field they are inte rested in." Students and teachers agreed that internships provided knowledge that might be difficult to communicate in the classroom. "It really gives you a new perspective on your future," said Steve Douglas, a December criminal justice graduate, who interned wi th the Federal Marshals last fall. "We want our students to have a reali stic view of what they wi ll face, " Hammond said. "Most students find internships encouraging because it confirms that they have made the right decision about their major fie ld." "I absolutely enjoyed working wi th the Federal Marshals. I couldn 't wait to get there every morning," Douglas said. Danielle Moze, a senior di etetics major worked at Central Arkansas Hospita l. Herwork there solidified her desire to work in dietetics. "It has been great. It made me realize the Department Chair Elizabeth Wilson talks with Dr. Stephen Brobeck, executive director of tne Consumer Federation ofAmerica, outside the Heritage Auditorium. Brobeck visited campus as a lecturer in the Coleman Distinguished Family and Consumer Science Lecture Series. Many students and faculty were in attendance to hear his lecture, "Key Challenges Facing Consumers in the 21st Century. " • 170 ACADEM ICS importance of my job and I really want to become a dietitian," Moze said. Internships also developed people skill s. Communi cation ab ilities are necessary in every job and could not be easi ly learned in the classroom. ''You learn a lot about people and how to listen," Moze said. "I learned to relate to patients and recognize their limi tations ." . ''When you work in a federal agency, rea lizing the chain of command is essentia l. I gained experience with that. Basically I sharpened my communication skill s," Douglas said. These skills aided students when searching for a job. Resume building was a definite motivater to students. Work experience could give them an edge when applying for graduate school or jobs. As the world aft er college grew more competitive, any work exper ience could provide an advantage for job seekers. "In ternships give students contacts in the career world," Hammond said. "Connections can turn into jobs. That is what we hope for." "I got a call-back immediate ly from a job I applied for because they saw I had interned with the Federal Marshals," Douglas said. Internships also provided a bit of excitement in an otherwise boring college week. "Last fall was pretty exciting in Little Rock because Ken Starrwas in town briefly and Bill y Bob Thornton dropped by the office some," Douglas said. The knowledge gained through internships gave students a head start and put these two departments in a position to produce Quality employees with on-the-job experience. - Michelle Kitchens
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