Schierer Named Co-Op/Intern of the Year

02/20/2014 10:57 AM

Melissa Kriauciunas  ‘14

The opportunity to utilize classroom knowledge and apply it to the working world is a goal most college undergraduates strive for. History major Abby Schierer ’14 was able to do just that through her summer internship with Wildlife Prairie Park outside Peoria. 

During her internship, Schierer compiled a complete, easy-to-use historical guide for the park after researching and digging through over 160 pages of historical documents and archives. She also had the opportunity to interact with park guests as well as contribute to marketing efforts through animal photography and writing articles for park brochures and ads.

It was through this internship and her dedication that Schierer was nominated and received one of the five distinguished awards as a Bradley University 2013 Outstanding Co-op/Intern of the Year. This prestigious honor from the Smith Career Center recognizes students for their exceptional work in an internship or co-op. Recipients of this award represent their college as an example of a student who exemplifies leadership, commitment and impressive achievement through their internship experience.

Schierer’s time at Wildlife Prairie Park mingling with guests, interacting with animals and researching the history of the park allowed her to create a valuable search guide that will benefit the park in future years. This internship was not only fun but also highly beneficial for her major and future plans to work in a non-profit, historical site, or museum. She hopes to someday work in an environment where she can make learning history fun.

“The most difficult part of the internship was leaving,” she said. “Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable work experience. With such a competitive job market, every bit of experience helps. I feel much better about finding a job when I graduate in May, knowing that I will have done two internships.”