RALEIGH, N.C.–The SECU Foundation has approved the renewal of the SECU Public Fellows Internship program, which the credit union said is excellent news for students seeking unique internship opportunities in local communities throughout the state.
The renewal includes a program expansion to 15 campuses in the University of North Carolina (UNC) System with an allocation of $1,450,000 in funding, which will allow up to 20 in-state undergraduates per campus to be awarded a paid internship position.
Universities participating and serving as program administrators for 2021 include: Appalachian State, East Carolina, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, NC A&T State, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Pembroke, UNC-Wilmington, NC Central, NC State, Western Carolina, and Winston-Salem State.
The SECU Public Fellows Internship program began in 2015 as a pilot at three universities. It was designed to help build capacity for underserved areas and to reduce talent drain from rural North Carolina communities.
Since then, university administrators have placed more than 800 SECU Public Fellows interns at local agencies/organizations, which serve as host sites in 48 North Carolina counties. The internships have become a valuable educational and career enhancing opportunity for interns to develop their professional skills, obtain on-the-job experience, and give back to their local communities, while assigned to non-profit and public sector organizations.
“We are extremely pleased with the tremendous success of the SECU Public Fellows Internship program,” said Jo Anne Sanford, SECU Foundation board dhair. “The positive feedback from interns, host sites, and UNC system administrators each year continues to generate increased awareness and interest in these internships. This is an amazing program and we are proud that today’s talented young adults are taking advantage of the opportunity to build connections and help stimulate growth in underserved areas of North Carolina.”
Christie Poteet, director of the Office for Community and Civic Engagement at UNC-Pembroke, added, “The SECU Public Fellows Internship program has been instrumental in helping us provide our students with opportunities to gain valuable, hands-on experience. In rural areas of North Carolina, like Robeson and surrounding counties, community-based agencies may not have the financial resources to host interns, but greatly benefit from the skills and talents our students are able to bring to their agencies and our community.”