Steven Henry is the October 2006 winner. Henry interned with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Washington, DC, as part of the Office of the Chief Engineer within the Space Operations Mission Directorate.
In describing his internship experience, Henry stated, “I had the great opportunity to experience many different engineering aspects. I was able to sit in on the STS-121 launch review meetings as well as the mission progress meetings during orbit. These all gave me insights into real world engineering feats and problems.”
“One of the problems that I was able to explore at my internship was shuttle foam loss. I was able to use knowledge of strengths of materials to better understand why and how the foam causes damage to the orbiter. I also saw how even though the space shuttle has the most reliable components in the world, all of them combined can still create malfunction. Throughout my internship I was able to get a better grasp of how the space shuttle propulsion system works and the physics of getting an object into orbit.”
Stanley Fishkind, Chief Engineer in the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA, spoke highly of Henry stating, “Mr. Henry is a very hard working man. He has the ability to follow difficult engineering problems, break the problems down to their components, do the analyses, and construct one or more practical solutions. Adapting to a rigorous environment, rising and exceeding the challenges, and achieving beyond our expectations were traits that bode well in his pursuit of a career in mechanical engineering.”
NIU accounting graduate student, Jenna Eyberger is the July 2006 winner. Eyberger interned as a tax/audit compliance specialist for Motorola in Schaumburg, Illinois. In describing her internship Jenna said, “I viewed my internship as a fantastic opportunity to learn as much about everything as I possibly could, and I seized that opportunity and ran with it. At Motorola I had the pleasure of working directly under the tax and internal controls manager. Before I started, I didn’t understand how two such distinct areas as internal controls and tax could mesh into a single managerial role. But the internship was surprisingly similar to school in that you get a little taste of everything.” When Eyberger was asked if she would recommend career-related work experiences to other students she replied, “Interning is a powerful and smart career move; this is definitely one bandwagon that more people should be jumping on. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.”
NIU Department of Accounting faculty, Tamara Phelan and Katrina Mantzke, both praised Eyberger’s academic performance as solid and consistent and feel that she will find success as she completes her MAS degree and begins her career in the accounting profession.
Kelly Dobson, Motorola Internal Controls and Tax Manager, spoke highly of Eyberger stating, “Jenna was a key contributor on our team and actively sought out additional and more complex assignments during her internship. Her energy and efficiency were key in completing several projects. Over the course of the internship, Jenna was able to sharpen her time management and leadership skills, as well as bring a fresh perspective to various processes.”
February 2006 winner, Sheena Elzie, a journalism major at NIU, was most recently on an internship with CNN-Chicago, working as a news department intern. While at CNN, Sheena states she was, “coming up with at least six story ideas a day, following each story idea up with additional research, doing personal interviews, and writing scripts.” Elzie related her academic studies to her internship experience by saying, “having an internship at CNN has not changed my career goals, but it has turned my goals and dreams into a reality. I got first hand experience on how a real newsroom operates and was able to apply my acquired knowledge to real world situations. Everyday that I was there working with producers and reporters, I felt like I was that much closer to achieving my career goal. I felt I was finally being rewarded for hours of studying and writing exercises.”
Grace Ramirez, CNN-Chicago Internship Coordinator, praised Elzie’s work by stating, “In the time Sheena has been an intern with us here at CNN, she has proven to be a very helpful and reliable member of our newsroom team.”
Dale Zacher, NIU Department of Communication assistant professor, commented on Sheena’s job experiences relative to her academic studies in journalism. He stated, “Sheena has been extremely active in taking advantage of part-time work, practica and internships. In journalism, we encourage our students to get some ‘real-world’ experience in their chosen profession, and Sheena is the ‘poster child’ for what we would love every student to do. These are challenging job experiences she has sought out, and they show well her determination to become the best journalist she can be.”