2018 Interns

“My favorite part of the summer was the people: the people in the town and the people I worked with. I wouldn’t have had as great an experience if I were not with those people and if they were not as awesome as they were. My favorite part of my job—if I had to pick just one thing—is that I liked seeing the growth in the students, not just academically but also socially. Seeing the evolution in the way they think about themselves and other people."

“During my summer in Tarboro, I developed a number of key leadership skills from effective communication to creative thinking. The time I spent working with local government leaders and public servants highlighted the fact that community and leadership go hand-in-hand.”

“This summer I had two wonderful mentors, Christine and Shanell, who allowed me the freedom to design my role which I really enjoyed. I also had the pleasure to work with the wonderful girls of MAGC, who taught me the value of patience and listening. With all their individual personalities, they left a mark on me. Working with young black girls, and being black, gave me insight into the structural dynamics and problems of Tarboro, and how MAGC is really building a safe and empowering space for young black girls in the town.”

“Designing and conducting a Mortality and Morbidity audit for Vidant-Edgecombe Hospital was professionally rewarding, because it built on my burgeoning interest in end-of-life care. And, in small-town Tarboro, I learned to be more comfortable with the unknown, embrace ambiguity and take myself (just a little) less seriously by attempting paddleboard yoga, tapping along to Pops on the Commons, losing at Trivia Nite, attending weekly think-tanks with community organizers, and having everyday interactions with the wonderful, occasionally weird local eccentrics. My summer was a personal and academic reckoning with my newly-adopted country (Naturalization, 8/13/18) and my potential; the perfect place and time to reflect on, renew and reaffirm my sense of country and identity.”

“This summer, I gained a lot of experience networking and communicating with individuals and organizations to accomplish a larger goal. I had to rely on communication skills and resources to be able to access some of the information and personnel that were necessary for me to successfully produce a data dashboard for Rural Opportunity Institute.”

“This summer was a unique experience that exposed me to rural America. It was very interesting to see how Tarboro's demographics shaped the town and I think that the most important thing I learned is that I will never fully understand what it's like to grow up as part of a minority race.”

“This summer, I gained a better understanding of systematic and institutionalized inequalities based on race and class.”