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This is the Place for You

Ashlyn Cook

Being an intern for the Friday Institute (FI) has been a unique and encouraging opportunity that allowed me to discover interests and skills I did not know I had. I applied to this internship over the summer while searching for a work-study job. I was not interested in education nor did I have much knowledge about educational research, but as a STEM major, I thought it would be interesting to do work that would not be related to my school work. Kevin Winn is the intern director and was the one who facilitated my interview. He made sure that I knew that it was okay for me to not be interested in education at the moment and that if I was interested in research at all, I would still enjoy the job. In the end, I did find this to be true. The type of research that I got to experience was fun, interesting and different from anything I have done before. 

The project that I worked on the most was with Joy Alcantara and the Juntos team on a literature review on culturally responsive STEM measures. I played a big role in finding the articles for the paper and then creating themes for the articles. Playing this role allowed me to write a big portion of the memo to be sent out to the other team members. It was exciting and important to me to have my name on an official NC State document and for the work I was doing to be recognized and appreciated by many at the FI. 

Overall my experience at the FI has been a positive one. I always felt supported by all the members that I engaged with. It is a great learning experience and job for students interested in all fields. There are always different projects to be a part of and there are many opportunities to display your strengths. If you are looking for a great student job that is cooperative and supportive, this is the place for you.