The Value of an Internship
An internship is a pre-professional, career-related experience that can provide mentorship, training, and exposure in a given field. Landmark College is committed to providing the resources required for students to access experiential learning opportunities and put into practice what they are learning in the classroom.
Omoefe’s Story
Omoefe Ogbeide
Hometown: Alameda, California
Internships have been a crucial part of Omoefe Ogbeide’s educational experience at Landmark College. In 2014, she landed a full-time internship at Fulflex Elastomerics Worldwide Inc., working in quality control for the Brattleboro, Vermont-based international company that makes elastic materials for a wide range of consumer and industrial products.
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Then, in summer of 2015, Omoefe—commonly known as “Omo” to her friends and the LC community—landed an internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Services. She found herself working alongside lawyers, economists, biologists, and statisticians.
While that might be a daunting thought for any college student, for Omo it was liberating. “My supervisor told me, ‘You should never create artificial barriers to your success’,” says Omoefe. “There are plenty of real barriers, so don’t let artificial barriers stop you. And my LD is an artificial barrier.”
Through her internship with the USDA, Omo took part in mentoring events in Washington, D.C., that convinced her she will eventually achieve a longtime goal: attending law school. “I always saw my struggles with reading and writing as a detriment, so I excluded myself from doing certain things. Within weeks of starting my internship, though, I went to an event with Washington’s top 15 law schools and I realized I really could do it!”
Omo was part of Landmark College’s first graduating class of bachelor degree students in May 2016, earning a B.A. in Liberal Studies. After she graduated, she was offered and accepted a full-time job with the USDA.
“Having struggled with reading and working memory, I feared going into law even though I’m really passionate about it, and in foreign policy and international business,” she says. “At Landmark, one of the top things I learned was active reading, which helped me comprehend and stay engaged with my reading. In reading-intensive classes at Landmark College—like Dan Miller’s 3000- and 4000-level classes—I’ve read things that I’m told even graduate students have trouble reading and comprehending!”
Her classroom experiences at LC were complemented greatly by her professional internships. With help from Career Connections, Omo landed at Fulflex and thrived in a position that allowed her to review and rewrite Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for quality control. Her internship at the USDA took her even deeper into the world of SOPs as they relate to food safety.
“Being in a classroom is invaluable—but then you have to apply what you learned,” Omo says. “When you work in internships, you recognize that there are different types of experience necessary for your education. And working in the field is the best kind of education you can get.”
Internships at Landmark College
Types of Internships
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“I am learning about working as a part of a bigger team. I am learning to think more broadly and learning different ways to interact with co-workers.” —Emily Motter ‘15, who interned at the Putney Food Co-op while she was a student at Landmark College.
Internship options at Landmark College are credit-bearing and tied to a student’s academic program.
Students pursuing credit-bearing internships must follow the Academic Affairs Internship Policy. Proposals for credit-bearing internships must be submitted for approval by April 30 for fall and summer internships and November 30 for spring. Three credit internships taking place in summer session incur a $1400 cost.
Limited campus housing is available for students who are interning locally during the summer, through our Summer Credit Program.
The first step for any student interested in pursuing an internship is to schedule an appointment with Career Connections. Staff in the Career Connections office are available to support students in identifying internship opportunities and with the resume, cover letter, and interview preparation they will need in order to apply and be competitive.
Similar to workplace expectations for professionalism, internships require students to have the independent work, self-advocacy, and time-management skills needed to be successful. Academic Advisors play an important role in helping students to determine readiness, identify how an internship might fit in with their academic plan, and adhere to the Internship Policy for credit.
Current Opportunities
The Six College Collaborative Internship Program
Landmark College is a member of The Six College Collaborative Internship Program, an initiative supported by the Vermont Department of Labor that collaborates with local employers and organizations to provide paid internship opportunities for students at the six member colleges. The six colleges (Landmark College, Marlboro College, Union Institute & University, the Community College of Vermont, SIT Graduate Institute, and Vermont Tech) work together through the Windham Higher Education Cooperative (WHEC). The Six College Collaborative website maintains a listing of current opportunities.
External and Other Opportunities
Internships are available for all college students through existing job postings with external employers and established opportunities through a variety of databases and publications. A student may also develop their own internship by contacting an organization and offering to work as an intern. Career Connections can help students identify opportunities and maintains a growing list of resources, internships, and employer partners.
Interested in Providing an Internship Opportunity for a Landmark Student?
If you are interested in supporting Landmark College’s internship program as a host site for students, please complete the Internship Opportunity Form and/or contact Jan Coplan, Director of Career Connections, for more information.
Questions about Landmark College’s Academic Internship Policy?
Jill Hinckley
Dean of the School of Education
jhinckley@landmark.edu
802-387-6825
Questions about Internship Opportunities?
Jan Coplan
Director of Career Connections
jancoplan@landmark.edu
802-387-7175
There are many ways that the staff of Career Connections can help you explore a major or work toward your career goals:
- Assess career and major interests through personalized assessments
- Explore career and academic pathways
- Develop a résumé and cover letter
- Identify employment opportunities and organize a job search
- Prepare for job interviews and networking events
- Identify and prepare for internship and volunteer opportunities
- Navigate disclosure issues in the workplace
Career resources available to Landmark College students include:
Career Cruising
Career Cruising is a robust web-based career exploration tool equipped with powerful college and graduate school search engines and a dynamic employment guide. Within the online platform, students can inform career and college options and develop a career plan. Landmark College students retain access to Career Cruising after graduation, and it is also available to alumni. Students should contact Career Connections for an account.
Career Guides
Career Connections has developed several guides for students, covering topics including The Interview Process, Résumé Guide, and Cover Letters.
In addition, our office has an extensive resource library and can help direct students to online resources, job fairs, and networking events.
Career Connections
Landmark College is an official member of the Bender Consulting College Partnership Program, which provides students and alumni with disabilities access to full-time and internship opportunities.
Landmark College’s partnership with the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation has allowed the College’s Office of Career Connections to create meaningful internship and employment opportunities for our students.
Since introducing our first bachelor’s degree in 2012, LC has prioritized career readiness and experiential education for our students, all of whom are diagnosed with learning differences (LD). BDCC has helped us build partnerships with area businesses to create credit-bearing internships and aid the experiential education of LC students. In an effort to provide more internships locally, Landmark has worked with businesses in Windham County to offer professional skill-building opportunities.
What did LC students say about their BDCC internship experience?
“There is no better teacher than a hands-on experience in the workplace. The company benefits from having fresh ideas and new blood coming in the door; rejuvenating the staff and bringing a new perspective that they may not have seen before.”
—Bernie Matles ‘14 (interned at Farnum Insulators)
“You come to find that everyone has difficulties, individuals with LD or not. How you address those difficulties correlates with your success.”
—Omoefe Ogbeide ‘16 (interned at Fulflex, Inc.)
“I am learning about working as a part of a bigger team. I am learning to think more broadly and learning different ways to interact with co-workers.”
—Emily Motter ‘15 (interned at Putney Food Co-op)
What have employers said about LC students?
“Will interacted with staff and participants in a professional manner. He did a great job assisting in many areas of the facility. He was very sociable and liked, and asked for help when he was unsure of how to resolve an issue.”
—Sandy Saunders, LPN, The Gathering Place (about LC student Will Coolly)
Companies that have provided internships through the Landmark/BDCC partnership:
- Farnum Cellulose
- Fulflex Elastrometrics, Inc.
- The Gathering Place
- Stone Trust—Dan Snow
- Vermont/New Hampshire Veterinary Clinic
- Vermont Roadworks
We believe in educating the whole student and making sure you are ready for what lies beyond Landmark. In Fall 2016, we introduced a comprehensive student campus employment program in an effort to better prepare our student workers for future employment. Landmark College Works focuses on helping students gain professional skills through campus employment, while making connections between work and academics.