Award Recipients

 

Yash Kothari (Spring 2024) - VITA Program
During my internship with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, I served as a site coordinator, overseeing daily operations, managing volunteers, ensuring tax return accuracy and addressing complex taxpayer issues.  This experience aligned with and complemented my coursework in finance and accounting.  It underscored the importance of effective leadership and community service, shaping my aspirations towards leadership roles in nonprofits and financial management careers.   

Jacob Umbro (Summer 2024) - Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation
During my internship, I was given the opportunity to learn about animal care and rehabilitation.  I gained the skills in feeding and maintaining enclosures for small mammals including squirrels, groundhogs, rabbits, mice and opossums to ensure they were strong and healthy when it came time to releasing them into the wild.  Through observation and explanations, I was able to learn more about squirrel behaviors through different states of their lives.  This internship helped to refine my skills, strengthen my ambitions and provided me a possible avenue for my future in the field of Zoology.

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Rachael Murphy (Summer 2024) - Humane League of Lancaster County Pennsylvnaia
This summer I interned as an Animal Care Technician where I took care of animals, and intake for animals that were surrendered.  As part of the intake process, this included exams of behavioral analysis, physical exams, flea and tick treatments and checking the necessary vaccines.  I worked very closely with the animals to get them comfortable with human interaction and being in a new environment.  In working with potential new owners, I would assist with pairing them up with a potential animal and observe the interaction between the animal and the adopter.  I am even more passionate about care for and saving animals than I was prior to this internship.  My future career goal is to be an animal cruelty investigator and work alongside law enforcement and animal shelters to educate people about proper pet care.

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Sophie Lanius (Summer 2024) - Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation
This internship allowed me to learn about wildlife rehabilitation, starting with the process of public transporting the animal to Acorn Acres to rehabilitating the animal. My tasks included how to feed, clean cages, perform intake assessments and administer medication.  One specific task I learned was how to give milk through a syringe to neonate and juvenile squirrels and ensuring the squirrel is getting enough to eat and not going to aspirate.  One thing I learned in this internship was how essential multi-tasking is to get things done efficiently.  Part of a normal day was feeding 40+ baby squirrels and cutting up vegetables to make meals for all the residents.  This internship has prepared me for my career in veterinary medicine.

Jaheim Morris (Summer 2025) - Cedar Cliff Football
My internship as a Football Coaching & Strength and Conditioning Intern deepened my understanding of coaching beyond physical training. I planned workouts, ensured athlete safety, supported seasonal routines, and contributed to injury prevention and performance tracking. I also led small group sessions, adapted workouts for injured players, and unexpectedly took on roles in motivation and mental preparation, which strengthened athlete relationships and built my leadership confidence.  This experience taught me that coaching young athletes involves discipline, personal growth, and adaptability. I learned to adjust exercises, manage group dynamics, and communicate under pressure. It shifted my career focus toward high school coaching, where I saw the lasting impact coaches can make. I developed strengths in mentorship, instruction, and relationship-building, and clarified my goal to pursue strength and conditioning professionally—taking steps to apply for coaching roles, build an online presence, and network for future opportunities.

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Lex Montha (Summer 2025) - Franklin County Conservation District
The internship with the Franklin County Conservation District made me very knowledgeable of the workload Conservation Districts take in and how they operate to serve their community. I have gained an appreciation for all the work that is done behind the scenes to keep roads, soil and water clean.  This experience exposed me to a community based organization that engages with the public to handle environmental matters. The internship provided me with a better understanding of the role of the conservation district and how organization benefits the county, state and most importantly, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. 
 

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Olivia Zerebilov (Summer 2025) - The Arc Lancaster Lebanon
As a Marketing major with a Photography minor at Millersville University, I was grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Social Media and Web Design Intern for The Arc Lancaster Lebanon. This internship allowed me to combine my academic interests and creative skills in a meaningful way, while supporting a nonprofit organization whose mission I truly admire. From day one, I was given ownership over The Arc’s Instagram presence—building the account from the ground up. I created and optimized the profile for SEO and consistency with the organization’s branding, ensuring it reflected The Arc’s values of inclusion, equality, and advocacy. Beyond marketing tasks, I also developed educational content aimed at increasing awareness of intellectual and developmental disabilities and the services The Arc provides. This part of the internship deepened my understanding of inclusive communication and the social impact of nonprofit work.
This experience was invaluable not just for the technical and professional skills I gained—such as content creation, branding, digital strategy, and event marketing—but also for the confidence and clarity it gave me in my career goals. I now know I want to continue working in mission-driven spaces where I can use my marketing and creative skills to make a difference.

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Patrick Boyer (Summer 2025) - Music for Everyone
I really enjoyed my experience interning for Music For Everyone! I had the opportunity to learn about the non-profit sector, as well as improve my music business skills. My role at Music For Everyone was to assist the operations team.  One of the most enjoyable moments of my internship was the Great Grant Give Out. This was an event where representatives from all the public school districts in Lancaster County would come to pick up their requested grant items. These items ranged from drum sets to trumpets, sound equipment to maracas, and items for modern band programs, band and orchestra programs, and general music classrooms. This year, we had over $150,000 worth of items going back into Lancaster County schools and community programs.  I am proud to have been involved with this event and to know that my role at Music For Everyone was impacting my community.

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Sophia Stempenski (Summer 2025) - Cape Cod Baseball League
This summer with the Cape Cod Baseball League was one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had so far. As a sports photographer, I captured everything from intense action shots to behind-the-scenes moments that showcased team traditions, community spirit, and the emotions of victory and defeat. I learned to balance creativity with professionalism, producing content that kept fans engaged across multiple platforms. The fast-paced environment taught me the importance of adaptability—adjusting to different lighting, weather, and timing challenges—and helped me sharpen my technical skills in photography and editing under tight deadlines.  Beyond the creative and technical growth, the internship gave me valuable exposure to the professional sports world. Collaborating with communications staff and fellow interns showed me how media strategy and teamwork drive fan engagement and branding—directly connecting to my marketing degree. This experience confirmed my career goal of working in sports media and gave me the confidence to pursue photography roles at the collegiate or professional level. It also helped me build a portfolio and skill set that will support my next steps in the industry.

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Jessica Berkheimer (Spring 2024) - Lebanon County Branch 26AA of the NAACP
I interned with my local NAACP as an Affordable Housing Advocate.  I was able to take my passion for etquity in housing and direct it into the field.  I was able to meet with key leaders in the field and I learned a lot about the multiple pieces that are in play policy-wise.  I learned about the hurdles to affordable housing, and met with people who are experiencing housing difficulties.  This opportunity has expanded my thinking and my resource base.  I hope to be able to use all of this newfound knowledge to make a difference locally, and maybe someday, nationwide.

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Lorna Cornely (Spring 2024) - Lancaster Recreation Commission
I had the pleasure of working at the Lancaster Recreation Commission in the senior center. During my time there I had the opportunities to participate in providing assistance in the office by making copies, posting new lunch calendars, and being involved in other office duties. I enjoyed restocking necessary items needed for the individuals in the senior center. Along with my office duties I enjoyed creating name tags for everyone in the building. While attending my internship I found much joy in holding conversations and getting to know the elderly better and getting an understanding of their lives. My course work at Millersville in social work allowed me to use content knowledge to help further my experience with elderly people. 

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Luke Davis (Spring 2024) - Lancaster Recreation Child Development Center
My experience at Lanaster Recreation Child Development Center was an incredible learning experience for me.  I wish to work in a preschool setting with young children and this internship allowed me to learn and grow my skills.  The internship provided me day long opportunities to work with 3-5 year old and preschool aged children.  Due to this experience, I will be seeking jobs in the preschool aged child development areas.  I would like to thank everyone who support me during this internship experience. 

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Jessica Klinedinst (Spring 2024) - Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County 
I have always had an interest in bookkeeping and discovering new things in Lancaster City, so having a chance to work with the trust as an archives processor was a welcome addition to my future career as a librarian or historical archivist. While the non-profit worked to digitize physical documents about the history of Andrew Ellicott and the Ellicott House (where I did my internship), I also learned about the counties and boroughs that make up the entirety of Lancaster itself. From Millersville, Conestoga, Caernarvon/Narvon, Cocalico, Mount Joy, East/West Conegal, and many more. I also worked with creating social media posts about historic locations for their Facebook page (https://m.facebook.com/historicpreservationtrust). While working with an English Writing-Studies degree would usually put me towards a teaching career, I hope to look towards a career in archives or any other position to preserve the past for others to look at in the future.

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Lexey Mikolon (Spring 2024) - League of Women Voters US
My internship experience as a Policy Intern for the League of Women Voters US provided me with a vast number of new experiences and skills. My internship at LWVUS offered countless benefits that I will be able to apply to my future career goals, including the meaningful connections that I made with other members of staff that will last beyond my time at LWVUS. Additionally, I had the opportunity to connect with state-based Leagues across the US to hear about their individual concerns given the current political climate. The opportunity to learn more about the work on the ground in each state reinvigorated my passion for cross-advocacy work between state and federal-focused organizations. Overall, this experience solidified my future career goals of working in a non-profit organization as a policy specialist who advocates on issues that personally resonate with me. I would highly recommend that anyone interested in advocacy or political affairs consider an internship with the League of Women Voters US.

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Leah Reagan (Spring 2024) - Lancaster Office of Promotion (LOOP)
I learned so much in such a short amount of time.  I learned the "behind the scenes" of promoting a city and its events to support the tourism scene by writing blogs, attending meetings, and working with social media tools.  The skills I learned with be helpful in my future career.  Overall, my experience has been extremely beneficial to my future career and has shown me the path I want to take after graduation.  I would suggest this internship to anyone interested in public relations, marketing, or any other communications-related field!

Caleb Schoettlin (Fall 2024) - Lancaster Public Library
During my internship at the Lancaster Public Library, I was slotted into various roles that allowed me to engage with patrons and staff.  Some of my tasks included hosting a Wednesday Night book Club where I led discussion on Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein.  I also utilized my technical writing skills by editing the library's Circulation Guide and Emergency Response Plan and developed a brochure for a work program that helped members of the community find well-paying jobs.  I am grateful to the Library Director and the entire staff for providing me this opportunity that will help guide me through future employment. 

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Codi Bollinger (Fall 2024) - Neighbors Cafe and Community Center
During my internship I gained a better understanding of what to expect when teaching international students.  Neighbors Cafe is a multicultural gathering place for many different purposes and provides a way for individuals to learn to communicate in English and the culture of the United States.  Our beginners class covers very basic English vocabulary, such as colors, numbers, time, items in a home, etc.  After I shadowed an individual who had many years of teaching around the world, I was given the Continuing Beginner Course, which builds off what the students learned previously, and we learn more phrases and sentences. This internship taught me how to connect with people in a way that creates an atmosphere where I am respected and trusted. The guidance and support I received, gave me more confidence in leading a class. My plan is to teach English abroad.  I'm extremely grateful for the things I've taken away from this experience and what is has provided me.  I will carry it with me throughout my career and everyday life.  

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Emily Bell (Fall 2024) - Steps to Success
During my internship, I had the opportunity to observe students in different classrooms that needed reinforcements to help them succeed.  I also worked in the office alongside my supervisor looking at IEP's and assessing ways to assist the staff in the various classrooms.  I prepared mini lessons on safety, social and emotional to help students practice safe behaviors in and outside of the classroom.  This internship allowed me to be creative and share my ideas, but also allowed me to see it from a different perspective of what hard work goes into creating programs like Steps to Success.  This internship has deepened my wanting to learn more and to obtain my teacher certification.

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Emily Sykes (Fall 2024) - Hourglass Lancaster
I had the privilege interning with Hourglass, a non-profit organization committed to fostering positive change in Lancaster County.  As a Marketing and Media Intern, I applied my skills in video editing, graphic design, media management, and digital content creations while gaining valuable insight into the inner workings of a non-profit.  One of the most rewarding aspects was managing Hourglass's website and social media platform.  I enjoyed strategizing and creating engaging content to promote their mission, designing graphics, and editing videos that effectively communicated key messages.  This internship provided me a space where I could directly apply what I learned in the classroom while still being supported by supervisors who offered me mentoring and feedback, which gave me the confidence to take responsibilities independently while also honing my skills and building my professional foundation.  This experience has been transformative, and I hope future students embrace internships like this as a vital step in their personal and professional development.

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Leilani Krady (Fall 2024) - Lancaster Medical Heritage Museum
I was tasked with designing an exhibit for the museum, which I thought would be straightforward, but it was more difficult that I thought.  My exhibit proposal was called "From Institutions to Medication", which focused on mental health.  Most of my time was focused on the research, collecting sources, refining my ideas and taking extensive notes, and then the writing began, followed by what artifacts to display that would compement my overall narrative. I found it insightful to plan and execute the process in a structured environment and found it more rewarding in the end.  During my internship, I learned what types of things to keep in mind when writing text for the public and not making it overly complicated, as well as what type of designs are best for museum text, such as colors.  I felt that I was sufficiently prepared for this internship because of my educational background.  My internship was challenging but helped me grow my professional skills and taught me a lot about the field.

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Marissa Sweger (Fall 2024) - Vickie's Angel Foundation
Vickie's Angel Foundation is a non-profit organization that creates a temporary financial bridge for those in the local community who have been impacted financially by a cancer diagnosis.  I worked remotely as an intern and communication took place via email or zoom calls with occasional onsite meetings.  Some of my tasks included writing blogs and creating graphics for social media and promotion.  I created a fundraising guide and took videos at the "Walk for Promotion".  This internship allowed me to build on existing skills I developed in the classroom.  As a public relations major, I learned how PR strategies and storytelling can inspire others to get involved.  My favorite moment from this internship was when I got to interact with people the foundation helped and hearing their stories.  I learned how important empathy is when working in a non-profit such as this foundation.  I encourage future students to considering interning with Vickie's Angel Foundation. 

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Matthew Frister (Fall 2024) - Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities
During my internship at the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities I handled a lot of accounting and finance tasks, ensuring accuracy and displaying empathy for a company that works closely with people in need. I learned a lot in my internship, which could not be learned in a classroom.  This was a big step for me and others have a chance for an opportunity like this.

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Rylie Shanebrook (Fall 2024) - Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation
This internship provided me my first experience being close to wildlife, so I had a lot to learn.  At Acorn Acres, I learned how to properly feed a baby squirrel, ensure they were fed the correct amount, cleaned their cages and learned about enrichment toys so they could learn how to be a squirrel.  During my internship, I learned first-hand what a rehabilitator provides for the injured and sick animals.  This internship has changed my view of outside animals and possibly changed what animals I would like to specialize in for my future career as a veterinarian.