College of the Ozarks students participate in summer internships

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — Each year, College of the Ozarks students work in various summer internships. In the midst of COVID-19 and the surrounding employment issues, several students participated in internships that led to the promise of full-time jobs after completing their degrees.

Max Pulley lands internship, full-time job with Fortune 500 company Northwestern Mutual

Max Pulley, senior business administration major, served as a college financial representative with Northwestern Mutual, based in Olathe, Kansas.

Fortune 500 company Northwestern Mutual is the only company to be recognized by Vault as a top 100 internship program for 24 straight years. Of the 52,000 college students that have participated in the internship program over the past 50 years, 98 percent reported that it was instrumental to their future careers. Pulley agrees; his summer internship turned into a full-time job.

Northwestern Mutual recognized Pulley as the regional intern of the month for three months straight. He has also ranked among the top three interns in the country.

"I have developed a passion for the work we do here," Pulley said. "I am so thankful for the peace of mind that comes with knowing that I have secured a job in this challenging economic climate."

Brennan Richey serves as junior associate with Remington Research Group

Brennan Richey, senior public relations major, accepted an internship with Remington Research Group (RRG) as a junior associate. RRG is a polling company based in Kansas City, Missouri, formed by Axiom Strategies. The group conducts polls in districts around the country for various political campaigns.

"I have always had a deep interest in politics," Richey said. "When I had the opportunity to combine my passion for people with my passion for politics, it just made sense."

Richey will join the RRG team in the spring but continues to work with them part-time remotely throughout her senior year.

"RRG has opened my eyes to a career field I had never considered. I get a firsthand look at the opinions of American voters, and I can't wait for the continued valuable experience that will come with the upcoming general election," Richey said.

Brian Hofmann works as software engineer with Netsmart Technologies

Brian Hofmann, senior computer science and music theory and composition double major, interned with Netsmart Technologies as a software engineer in Kansas City, Kansas. Hofmann has spent the past three summers working with them and will join their team full-time after the fall semester.

"I've always wanted to work for a company whose goal and motto was to help better peoples' lives," Hofmann said. "Hearing that this company dedicates themselves to serving clients that directly help people going through mental health issues gave me the drive and purpose to code for them. Each day I knew I was writing code that could, potentially, directly influence or even save someone's life!"

Hofmann had the responsibility of automating the process used in medical offices to fill out patient forms. He created a tool that auto-populated data from the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to fill in specific fields on a form. With this technology, paperwork can be filled out correctly, according to different designs and specifications, with no human interaction.

Hofmann ended his internship by demonstrating his solution in front of Netsmart's entire executive panel. To his surprise, they immediately made a plan to push the tool out to their clients.

"I always recommend that people enter a job where they stand behind what the company believes in," Hofmann said. "Even if the salary looks nice, a job can still get old quickly if you feel no purpose to your work beyond the paycheck."

Michia Jenkins confirms career path as athletic trainer

Michia Jenkins, senior exercise science major, worked with an athletic trainer at Mountain Home High School in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

The athletic trainer, Callie Paden, works for Baxter Regional Medical Center (BRMC). Her primary client is Mountain Home High School, where she provides prevention and rehab treatment for the high school athletes. Jenkins joined her in attending the school's daily football and volleyball practices and aiding athletes when necessary.

Jenkins works in the athletic training room on campus, and the combined experience from her workstation and internship has confirmed that this is the profession Jenkins wants to pursue.

"In terms of money, my internship was an ‘un-paid’ position," Jenkins said. "I would argue, though, that I received payment of a different kind. I gained so much information and learned the routes of my supervisor, which prepared me for exactly what I hope to do in my career."

Internships at College of the Ozarks typically occur in an off-campus setting and are sponsored by the department in which a student is pursuing a major or minor. The experiences are determined by a faculty member in cooperation with the off-campus supervisor. The internship also includes academic reflection and explicit efforts to connect the internship experience with the student’s classroom learning.