National Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 20 – 26, and WLC wants to thank all of our amazing businesses and volunteers. It is because of our partners that we are able to provide quality career awareness, career exploration, and work-based learning experiences to area students. This year alone, our partners volunteered nearly 29,000 hours to help support job shadows, internships, and career exploration events.

Intern Feature – Alannah McKibben, Iowa Valley Jr/Sr High School

Alannah McKibben, an Iowa Valley senior, completed a WLC Nursing/Radiology Rotation Internship with Compass Memorial Healthcare in Marengo last fall.

“My internship through Workplace Learning Connection was at Compass Memorial Hospital, where I had the incredible opportunity to shadow a variety of nurses across different departments, including the ER, Med-Surg, Oncology, and Pre- and Post-Op in the OR,” says Alannah. “Throughout my experience, I observed not only their daily tasks but also the roles of other medical professionals, such as doctors, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, and CRNAs. One of the highlights of my internship was being in the operating room, where I had the chance to witness a cataract surgery. The surgeon was kind enough to explain the procedure step-by-step, making it a truly unforgettable experience.

“This internship solidified my decision to pursue a career in nursing, and I am excited to be attending Luther College in the fall to begin my journey,” Alannah continues. “The experience also opened my eyes to the many career paths within the medical field, inspiring me to continue my education after nursing school to become a nurse anesthetist. I am incredibly grateful for the kindness and knowledge shared by the hospital staff, and I highly encourage other high school students to take advantage of internship opportunities through WLC. It was not only an amazing learning experience but also a lot of fun!”

From Internship to Full-Time Job

K.C. Jones, a Williamsburg High School class of 2021 graduate, completed a WLC Event Planning Internship at Highland Ridge in Williamsburg while she was in high school. Fast forward four years, she is now a life enrichment coordinator at the same place where she interned! Read how K.C.’s internship experience prepared and guided her to where she is today:

What impact did your internship experience have on you and your career path?

As part of my internship, I got to coordinate and participate in events/activities for older adults. Victoria Hadley, my host and the life enrichment director at the time, allowed me to have hands-on learning experiences and was a great mentor. I got to see and explore different kinds of tasks an event planner would do in their career. Victoria taught me what it is like to be a leader and how to have confidence in what I do. I didn’t think I would take much from an internship; however, during the process of learning and exploring event planning, I grew to love it and knew I made the right decision. I built connections with the friendly staff I got to work with and the residents that I had the opportunity to meet. Having an internship experience at Highland Ridge created many friendships that I have to this very day.

I initially accepted a PRN position at Highland Ridge, where I worked mainly in the memory care neighborhood. After about a year, a life enrichment coordinator position became available and I jumped on the opportunity to apply. Because they knew me, and I had experience with the team, I was quickly hired. Without my internship experience, I don’t know where I would be!

Did your internship experience influence your studies or future college and career plans?

Throughout high school, I never had an interest in going to college. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life without feeling the need to commit to a college. I’m thankful for my internship experience and how it directed me to the career I have today. I have worked at Highland Ridge for almost three years now, and I am looking forward to what opportunities will arise in the future.

Did participating in the WLC Internship Program give you a competitive advantage as you pursued your future plans?

Yes. When I created staff connections during my internship, I felt I had an “in” to apply for the role. I had experience from my internship at Highland Ridge and relationships with the staff. They were the ones who convinced me to apply!

From your perspective, is career exploration and workforce preparation an important part of a high school student’s educational journey?

High school students should all have exposure to their careers of interest before graduating high school. When I started to explore event planning, it opened many doors for my future. We spend a lot of our lives at work, so being able to find something you can enjoy early on makes life so much better.

What was the biggest benefit you got from participating in WLC programs?

WLC taught me organizational skills, professionalism, and tips and tricks for interviewing. All these skills have been useful throughout my career and life. WLC also helped me find a career that fits me.

Why should current high school students consider exploring careers through job shadows and internships while in high school?

I took the internship opportunity through WLC because I was interested in event planning and wanted to know what it was all about. I highly recommend if you ever have the opportunity, you should take it! My internship brought me to the career I am in today and I couldn’t be happier!

STEM It Up! Video Series

Our STEM It Up! video series showcases women leading the way and making a difference in their communities through their careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Twenty-eight schools will share the STEM It Up! series with almost 3,000 middle and high school students, nearly double last year’s number!

This year, the compiled videos feature an engineering leader with BAE Systems, women in Kirkwood’s Advanced Manufacturing and Welding programs, a Disney Imagineer, a scientist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and women in agriculture.

“The most important step in accomplishing a goal is to believe you can do it and envision yourself being successful,“ says Cheryl Valenta, WLC coordinator for the event. “With the STEM It Up! video series focused on amazing women of various backgrounds sharing their career journeys, young girls can see themselves achieving in a STEM-focused educational path. Research shows girls excel in STEM classes, but women still make up a small percentage of the STEM workforce. Hearing from women about their successes and life journeys helps students visualize their own career success.”

Are you an educator interested in utilizing the STEM it Up! video series in your classroom? If so, reach out to Cheryl at cheryl.valenta@kirkwood.edu.