College of Menominee Nation Student Services and Sustainable Development institute would like to thank all those who attended and participated in the 1st Annual Internship Accomplishment Fair. The fair was held at Green Bay and Keshena campuses. Gary Besaw, Dean of Student Services, kicked off the Green Bay fair and thanked presenters and internship participants by saying: “They serve as warriors to make a good life for their families, community, and the world.” Gary noted that internships are important to help students move forward. Gary also thanked students Megan Welk and Clinton Isham by acknowledging their hard work and involvement in the development of the fair. “He [Clinton Isham] really pushes the importance of an internship and how the experience helps push your boundaries. You grow incrementally step by step.”
Students were able to meet with internship providers, ask questions, and gather information and resources. A student panel was featured at both campuses where student interns shared their internship experience and advice. All 11 student panelists highly encouraged CMN students to give internships a chance and apply! Internship knowledge was also shared in the form of a poster presentation where attendees could walk through poster exhibits and talk to students about their internship experience. Both fairs were well attended with 30 attendees at the Green Bay campus and 85 at the Keshena campus.
A very special thanks goes out to the student panelists for sharing their experiences and whose words inspired us all. Take a look at what they had to say:
- Patrick Waukau: “One thing the internship helped me do was open my eyes to what else was out there.” “I found out what I was good at and saw myself growing. I didn’t really have any direction before that.”
- Clinton Isham: “That’s when I really started to think, oh, I can actually do something with my life.” “The more I was exposed to, I realized, oh, this is achievable!” “I had no idea there were so many opportunities for students or even Native Americans. I began to realize, hey, look, there are opportunities here for you.”
- Amber Chevalier: “Other jobs just aren’t fulfilling.” “You just don’t realize you can actually do it. An internship gives you really great experience.”
- Henry Dodge: “If you want your education, you gotta get it. Just apply.” “I was having a hard time already with my homework, but my internship work related to my school work and made it easier—my schoolwork was easier to understand.” “I would encourage anyone who can do an internship to do it; the experience alone was worth it. It makes a big difference in your life, a big difference.”
- Schyler Martin: “You don’t buy jeans before trying them on, right? — It’s the same thing with a job. Why not try it on in the form of an internship?”
- Melissa Wilber: “At first, I didn’t even think I was eligible for an internship—I thought it was just for “smart people.” It definitely opened my eyes and I got a lot of job opportunities.”
- Louie Ortiz: “My internship opened my eyes to problems I never knew about before.” “I’m glad to see CMN and SDI have a lot of opportunities for students.” “If there’s something you’re unsure about, I’d encourage you to just go for it because you never know what you might learn or what insights you’ll gain.” “It’s really nice to see something like this is happening.”
- UW-Madison Representative also noted: “The opportunities are there and we are looking for Native American students to apply.”
- NAPIRE Representative: “You are internationally recognized, I’ve known of SDI for many years.”
DOOR PRIZES:
Congratulations to the following lucky winners!!! (Sorry if any names are spelled wrong!)
Green Bay Campus door prize winners:
If your name appears on this list, you still have unclaimed door prizes at the Green Bay Campus reception desk:
- Louie Ortiz
- Antonio Hernandez
- Cletsi Danforth
- Stacie Guyette
- Carol Bogoda
Other GB winners included: Courtney, Iva Romans, Randall Denny, Sally Hill, Jennifer P, Melissa Dallas, Lana Otradovec, Katie, Renita Freeman, Shelia House, Henry Dodge, Melissa Larson, Ashley Rice, Derek Denny, LeAnn White, Melissa Wilber, Pricilla D, Clinton Isham
Keshena Campus door prize winners:
If your name appears on this list, door prizes can be claimed in the Sustainable Development Institute office, Glenn Miller Hall Room 215:
- Rosemary Warrington
- Ricky Barbosa
- Susan Waukau
- Annie Schultz
- Gary Miller
- Adriane Waubanascum
- Mary Hernandez-Fuentes
- Melissa Wilber
- Matt Johnson
- Tracy Baxter
- Melvin Chavalier
- Carol Red Kettle
- Sarah Lyons
- Jennifer Krueger
- Tara Grignon
- Bill Vanlopik
- Matt Wadtke
- Paula Wilber
- Appolonia Gomez
- Megan Welk
- Cynthia Norton
- Dallas Hawkins
- Ron Jergens
- Lauran Stoehr
- Christa Lyons
- Steven Seidl
- Robert Dess
- Geraldine Sawapaw
- Shannon Neumann
- Sapatis Webster
- Joel Kroenke
- Mary Shawanokasic
- Ashley Jensen
- Darrin McPherson
- Harold Bowman
- Andrew James
- Gail Swanke
- Carol Sanapaw
- Megan Welk
- Caleb Powless
- Becky Zimdars
- Jamie Funmaker
- Jordan Corn
- Henry Dodge
- Melissa Sheldon
- Georgine Elm
- Jeremy Wescott
- Dean Davis
- David Wethge
- Robert James
- Dean Peters Jr.
- Rudy Reiter
- Ashley Ghent
- Jennifer Morris
- Tonya Pocan
- Schyler Martin