Small towns, Big impact: RuralWorks! expands

[lead]If you want to make a big impact in a small town through a paid summer internship, Rural Works! is the perfect program for you! [/lead]

Rural Works! is a 10-12 week paid summer internship opportunity for NC State’s extraordinary students to gain experience working with employers in rural North Carolina.

The program launched in the Spring of 2018 with a partnership between the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, the Office of Outreach and Engagement, and NC State Cooperative Extension. Last summer’s program offered internships with private companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations across 23 counties in North Carolina. There are even more internship opportunities available for summer 2019!

Through this experience, participants gain professional development coaching and support from the Rural Works! Coordinator.

[pullquote cite=”James Pinson” color=”wolfpackred” align=”alignright”]I think this experience will definitely help me get a job…[/pullquote]

Participants also give back with eight hours of service in the community to provide them with a better understanding of the county’s history and culture.

“I think this experience will definitely help me get a job when I graduate because I’ve seen, firsthand, the manufacturing environment,” said James Pinson, an NC State Industrial Engineering Student who interned with Timberline in Henderson, North Carolina. “I’ve also been able to practice my skills and have something other than just my class work to show. So I’ll be able to show all of that.”

Although students gain an abundance of career and professional experience, the Rural Works! program is also extremely rewarding for the companies involved. “I think the Rural Works! program is really, really helpful because one of the biggest problems they [rural North Carolina communities] have is nobody’s coming in and nobody knows about potential opportunities in these smaller areas,” said Katie Martin, an NC State student who interned with Lenoir County Public Schools STEM Camp. “So I think it’s really great that Rural Works! is trying to help bring people to smaller areas that need to grow.”

Applications for Rural Works! internships during summer 2019 are now open. Students from all majors are welcome to apply.  To apply, search “Rural Works!” in ePack. To learn more visit https://ruralworks.dasa.ncsu.edu/