In the first-grade classroom where she volunteers, Jenna Rohde noticed a student becoming increasingly frustrated with his handwriting. He was near tears when Rohde came to his aid. At first, he shied away from her, but she told him they could “do it together.” Soon after, he turned around, and together they mastered the letter “K.”
“It was amazing to see how proud he was of himself. Now I felt like crying,” Rohde said.
Rohde is just one of the students who works in the community and earns credit through the Community Internship Program. CIP is a student-run, student-initiated program that was founded in 1969.
The program places students in local internships and grants upper-division credit based on the student’s time commitment. Brooke Wadsworth, head of the Public Schools division of CIP, said, “It is a program that is so beneficial to students, and a lot of people don’t even know who we are or what we offer.”
At CIP, a wide range of student interests is met with a variety of internship opportunities. The program offers six divisions of internships — Building Blocks, Human Services, Leadership, Mentorship, Outdoor School and Public Schools. Students can also create their own internship or mentorship program. During their first term of participation, interns take a complementary seminar. After that, interns may continue at their placements without attending a seminar.
Wadsworth said the program “is a great way for students to relate to peers that are in similar situations.” They are inspired and motivated not only by the people they work with at their internships, but also by meeting with those who share similar goals and interests, she said.
Every Tuesday night, the Public Schools interns discuss current issues, challenges and strategies that educators need to consider. Multicultural issues, special education and methods of being effective in a classroom are all among the topics they delve into during the seminar. Some of the guest speakers on their agenda include a middle school science teacher and the superintendent of Eugene public schools.
But many students in the program agree that the bulk of their learning occurs at their internships, where they gain practical experience.
For many, CIP experience helps them reach their goals. Rohde needed to complete classroom hours before she could apply to her education program. She helps out in a first-grade classroom at Gilham Elementary six hours a week, and she loves it.
“If my schedule would allow it,” she said, “I would do more. I really enjoy being there, which makes the time fly by way too fast.”
Rohde said she loves her placement for multiple reasons. Not only is she able to apply what she is learning in her own classes to the kids she works with, she said, she is also working with her former second-grade teacher, whose classroom she enjoyed as a child. Now she has the opportunity to “look in from the other side.”
Other students pursue internships separate from their courses of study. Sarah Altemus is a political science major, and this is her third season coaching the Oakridge cross country team and getting CIP credits. Like Rohde, Altemus has returned to her old school to work with someone she admires — coach Ron Hebert.
“I cannot express how thankful I am to Hebert for being so willing to share with me all his know-how,” she said.
She said the internship is helping to prepare her for her own future coaching success. The Oakridge team is currently ranked No. 1 in the state. She attributes the team’s success to its determination and willingness to give “a 110 percent” effort. Altemus runs with the team, participates in team bonding activities and fills in where the coach needs her.
“I really try to send the message that running is a lifestyle, not just a sport,” she said.
Cami Carpenter, a graduate teaching fellow who co-teaches the Public Schools seminar, said she sees the program as valuable not only to the University students who participate, but to the community at large. She notes the increased need for volunteers in local schools as a result of tight funding.
“Most school districts have been forced to make cuts to their staff and available resources this year,” she said. But Carpenter stresses that “the greatest part of this program is the personal rewards that you receive from working with the kids.”
For more information, visit the CIP office, located in the EMU breezeway, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. any weekday, call 346-4351.