President Kent Trachte with Rebecca Forbes '19 and Michael Dressler Jr. '19
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Lycoming College has built its history as a top-tier liberal arts and sciences college that provides one of the most valuable college degrees one can earn. Our students are immersed in enhanced academic experiences and have limitless opportunities for applying their majors and interests in fieldwork, internships, research, and global study. As a result of a high-impact learning approach, our graduates thrive in the job market, excel in graduate school, and are prepared for a lifetime of professional growth and personal fulfillment.
Although another academic year has ended, it marks a new beginning for our most recent graduates. While students, they challenged themselves to think deeply and act boldly, and they will continue to do so as they embark on their paths as proud alumni. Lycoming is pleased to highlight two of its 2019 graduates who share below how their enhanced academic experiences helped pave the way for their bright futures.
"My WISE internship at Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak during the summer before my junior year was the perfect stepping stone in preparing me for my internship the following summer with Dominion Energy. Even though the two were in very different industries (legal aid vs. energy production and distribution), there were many overlapping lessons I was able to take from both experiences. I felt initially very overwhelmed with the legal jargon I was unfamiliar with, but learned very quickly how to adapt. This adaptability was essential during my time at Dominion. Similarly, by learning the computer system at the law firm, I applied those same tactics to learning the computer system at Dominion. Both of these internships have helped me immensely in learning how to quickly adapt to a new environment, how to live independently, and aided me in deciding what to pursue after graduation. These experiences excellently complemented learning in the classroom, and I couldn’t be more thankful for those opportunities.
Moving forward, I will be working for Alcoa in Pittsburgh, Pa., as a financial analyst in their financial leadership development rotational program. My internships will hopefully aid me in adapting to the new world of aluminum and all the terms and language I am currently unfamiliar with. I have no doubt my experience with Dominion at solar plants and nuclear energy plants will also help if or when I spend time on aluminum manufacturing plants. Overall, however, I hope to bring the love of learning that was cultivated during my time at Lycoming to each one of my new experiences and continually strive to improve, learn, and grow."
Rebecca Forbes ’19
Quantitative economics and Spanish double-major,
business administration minor
"As a staff intern for Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23) at the Senate of Pennsylvania, my biggest responsibility involved the research and writing of a report concerning the Pennsylvania nuclear energy industry, specifically for the purpose of assessing their need for requested subsidies. Through this internship, I had the opportunity to produce substantial, substantive work that I was able to both receive feedback on and retain as a showing of my past work and professional ability. Not only did I receive much enjoyment from the production of this work, but it allowed me to display my acumen as an employee.
This summer I will complete an internship at the McCormick Law Firm in Williamsport. This internship is the direct result of my Senate internship, as the position at McCormick was offered to me by Sen. Yaw following his reading of, and subsequent appreciation for, my assessment on the nuclear energy industry. Following the completion of my summer internship, I will start my first year of law school in the fall at William & Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Va.
My internship experience with the Senate of Pennsylvania prepared me by giving me the relevant experience necessary to adequately conduct myself in a professional environment, comfortably interact with colleagues and superiors, and manage my time with the purpose of producing well-crafted, timely-submitted work. It inspired me by ingraining a genuine appreciation for the work done within the state government of Pennsylvania, as well as work done outside of an academic context overall. It also helped me gain the necessary self-confidence to know that I am capable of exceeding both inside and outside of the classroom."
Michael Dressler Jr. ’19
Philosophy major, political science minor
The Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences (CEAE) is dedicated to helping students identify and participate in a wide-range of experiences that help them develop intellectually, professionally, and personally. With a focus on global education, internships, and student-faculty research collaboration, the center helps students to put skills they’ve learned in the classroom into direct practice across a variety of settings. Through these enhanced academic experiences, students learn how broad concepts explored in classes are tailored to the unique practices of particular businesses, individuals, and communities around the world. Learn more.