Added: 04-08-10
Custom-made
ISM students test-drive future careers
After a year or two, many classes fall into a predictable rhythm — the same lectures, the same curriculum, the same posters on the classroom wall. Each student graduates with the same information and experience, but rarely the same impact — some will remember what they learned in that class for the rest of their lives, and others will forget it within a month. But the Independent Study Mentorship experience is tailored to each student’s needs and wants — and leaves each one with different memories. It’s constantly changing, opening up new workplaces to students — and returning students rarely feel like they’ve taken the same class twice.
“There’s always a lot of excitement at the beginning of the semester from the new students, but what I think is wonderful is the enthusiasm of the returning students,” ISM teacher Vicky Abney said. “We have some interesting new placements this semester, including one student with [Emergency Medical Services], possibly doing Starflight.”
Some second-semester students, such as senior Carly Campbell, will immerse themselves in new workplaces. Carly, who spent the first semester at Austin Woman magazine, will be mentored at the Nobelity Project by Melissa Tothero, the project’s director of educational outreach. When Carly arrived for the Nobelity interview, she knew it was a perfect fit — an organization full of passionate people working for good causes.
“I’ll be working on Webquest [the project’s news website] and doing personal errands for [Nobelity Project founders Turk and Melissa Pipkin],” Carly said. “There are 10 different subtopics [of social issues] on Webquest that I’m helping her write about; you can click on one and learn how to support an issue that you’re interested in.”
Other students, like senior Shannon Trigger, are returning to their placements from last semester.
“I’m interning at Entercom Austin, which is a radio station,” Shannon said. “It’s home to 95.5, 94.7, and Talk 103.7. It’s helping me break the ice and get one foot in the door. I feel like I’m getting one step closer to my dream career.”
After a year or two, many classes fall into a predictable rhythm — the same lectures, the same curriculum, the same posters on the classroom wall. Each student graduates with the same information and experience, but rarely the same impact — some will remember what they learned in that class for the rest of their lives, and others will forget it within a month. But the Independent Study Mentorship experience is tailored to each student’s needs and wants — and leaves each one with different memories. It’s constantly changing, opening up new workplaces to students — and returning students rarely feel like they’ve taken the same class twice.
“There’s always a lot of excitement at the beginning of the semester from the new students, but what I think is wonderful is the enthusiasm of the returning students,” ISM teacher Vicky Abney said. “We have some interesting new placements this semester, including one student with [Emergency Medical Services], possibly doing Starflight.”
Some second-semester students, such as senior Carly Campbell, will immerse themselves in new workplaces. Carly, who spent the first semester at Austin Woman magazine, will be mentored at the Nobelity Project by Melissa Tothero, the project’s director of educational outreach. When Carly arrived for the Nobelity interview, she knew it was a perfect fit — an organization full of passionate people working for good causes.
“I’ll be working on Webquest [the project’s news website] and doing personal errands for [Nobelity Project founders Turk and Melissa Pipkin],” Carly said. “There are 10 different subtopics [of social issues] on Webquest that I’m helping her write about; you can click on one and learn how to support an issue that you’re interested in.”
Other students, like senior Shannon Trigger, are returning to their placements from last semester.
“I’m interning at Entercom Austin, which is a radio station,” Shannon said. “It’s home to 95.5, 94.7, and Talk 103.7. It’s helping me break the ice and get one foot in the door. I feel like I’m getting one step closer to my dream career.”