McCoy Scholar Katie Kitchen ’21 (Marietta, Ohio) had a busy freshman year at Marietta College. So why would her summer be any different?
Kitchen is working at Building Bridges to Careers as the 2018 recipient of the Robert E. and Sally S. Evans Civic Engagement Internship. The program provides the recipient up to $2,000 for living expenses, plus a $2,000 stipend.
“Actually, when I applied I missed the line where it said it was paid,” Kitchen said. “This is a really good opportunity to get experience in the non-profit world. I am fortunate that the Office of Civic Engagement at McDonough connected us.”
Sally Evans established the Evans Civic Engagement Internship Endowment in 2011 to recognize the lasting impact that Robert E. Evans had in the community through his many civic responsibilities. This internship program builds on his tradition of commitment to the future of Marietta.
Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C) was founded in 2012 by a dedicated group of education, community, and business leaders with the goal of creating a K-12 college and career readiness continuum.
After assessing the level at which the community was working together to impact career readiness, the participating volunteers collaboratively built programs, events, and networks to address the gaps that were found. Job shadowing support, started by the Teen Career Awareness Initiative in 2008, provided a springboard for the expansion of programming, and today we have several different signature programs that bring our mission statement to life.
“We are so thankful for the gift from Sally Evans to have this wonderful internship program in the community. Every year, we match an outstanding student with a community organization,” said Dr. Gama Perruci, Dean of McDonough. “We were delighted with Katie’s selection as this year’s intern. Being from Marietta, she has an excellent opportunity to give back to her own community in a meaningful way. She has quickly established herself in the McDonough Leadership Program as a thoughtful and action-oriented leader. She has a great combination of leadership traits.”
Kitchen, who is a McDonough Scholar, will serve a 10-week internship. She is also involved with the Student Government Association, Honors Program, musical ensembles and a member of the women’s tennis team.
“I have some experience working with nonprofits,” Kitchen said. “I’ll be helping with developing the curriculum for the Epicenter.”
Maribeth Saleem-Tanner, Director of Civic Engagement, said they are pleased Kitchen could work to support Building Bridges this summer.
“Katie is helping to do outreach and programs that will connect local kids to the wonderful educational resources of the Epicenter. Through this project, she’s drawing on her coursework in entrepreneurship, leadership, and more. Finding new applications for learning that improve the sustainability of our community organizations is a core goal of the program, and this partnership is a perfect example,” Saleem-Tanner said. “Even only a few weeks into the internship, Katie is making an impact. The Building Bridges staff has already told me they wish she could continue working with them past the summer.”