Eastern Student Sarah Messeck of Storrs Completes Semester-Long Internship

2015 Jul 28

Sarah Messeck '16 of Storrs recently wrapped up an internship at Windham Center Elementary School. Messeck's major is Psychology.

Some of her responsibilities included working one-on-one with students between the ages of five and 10, conducting low-grade counseling and group work in kindergarten to fifth-grade classrooms, and performing observations on students who needed data collection related to their problem behaviors.

Messeck worked directly with students at the internship in order to help them perform better academically. "I frequently interacted with students who had low motivation. With patience, I was able to get through to them and help them gain inspiration. Their inspiration was inspiring to me," she said.

Messeck said of her experience, "My internship helped me gain some insight into what I am interested in doing in the future. It helped me realize that I do not want to work in a school system. Sometimes, finding out what you don't like can be more beneficial than discovering what you do like."

The Center for Internships and Career Development is a valuable resource for students as it promotes strong partnerships between Eastern and potential employers.The Center plays an integral role in fostering excellence in career development and preparation among Eastern students and provides current information on the real workforce needs of employers, which students can use to their advantage. It also helps employment recruiters discover, recruit and hire Eastern students and alumni. They also work closely with companies who are hiring for internships or entry-level career positions in order to learn current and future workforce requirements. They then communicate this information to academic departments to align curriculum with labor market needs.