Carolina Alumni Review - May/June 2009

Administration

GAA

DOUG DIBBERT ’ 70, president doug_dibbert@unc.edu; 962–7050

Staff

STEVE SHAW ’ 82, director of finance & administration steve_shaw@unc.edu; 962–3599

LISA BEERS, controller lisa_beers@unc.edu; 962–3575

LINWOOD BLALOCK, mail room, 962–3979 MARYCATHERINE KURZENSKI, alumni center coordinator marycatherine_kurzenski@unc.edu; 962–7052

SUSAN LANE, accounting assistant susan@gaa.unc.edu; 843–8974

TOM MAY, printshop coordinator tom_may@unc.edu; 962–3741

ELIZABETH MORGAN, telephone receptionist, 962–1208 JENNY ROUTH ’ 82, assistant to the president jenny_routh@unc.edu; 962–7051

Membership and Marketing

STEPHANIE MILLER ’ 83, dir. of membership & marketing stephanie_miller@unc.edu; 962–7058

DIANA KOONCE ’02, coord. of membership administration diana_koonce@unc.edu; 843–0151

SARAH LAMM ’99, manager of marketing sarah_lamm@unc.edu; 962–1276

JORDAN MYERS ’08, coord. of membership services jordan_myers@unc.edu; 962–3577

Programs

RICK DAVIS ’ 85, director of enrichment programs rick_davis@unc.edu; 962–3581

ANN-LOUISE AGUIAR’ 76, manager of alumni education & travel ann-louise_aguiar@unc.edu; 962–3574

KAT BUTLER ’07, coordinator of student programs kat_butler@unc.edu; 962–7053

LINDA CONKLIN, manager of alumni career services linda_conklin@unc.edu; 962–3749

C. HAWKINS ’00, coordinator of student membership c_hawkins@unc.edu; 962–7054

STEFFI KINTON ’05, coordinator of alumni education & travel steffi_kinton@unc.edu; 962–0313

TANEA PETTIS ’ 95, coordinator of affinity reunions &

alumni admissions programs tanea_pettis@unc.edu; 843–9694

CASEY PRIVETTE ’01, coordinator of alumni clubs casey_privette@unc.edu; 962–6705

LINDA RAINEY ’ 95 (MA), manager of alumni activities linda_rainey@unc.edu; 962–3576

LAURA SHEPPARD ’08, programs assistant laura_sheppard@unc.edu; 843–5115

ANITA WALTON ’ 92, manager of homecoming & affinity reunions; anita_walton@unc.edu; 962–3582

Publications

REGINA OLIVER ’ 75, editor regina_oliver@unc.edu; 962–7056

KATE NEWTON ANTHONY, art director kate_anthony@unc.edu; 962–3572

SARAH MCCARTY ARNESON ’ 96, associate art director sarah_mccarty@unc.edu; 962–4794

DAVID BROWN ’ 75, senior associate editor david_brown@unc.edu; 962–7057

DAVE DRAKE ’ 92, online coordinator dave_drake@unc.edu; 843–9712

ANDREA IDE ’08, advertising account representative andrea_ide@unc.edu; 962–8820

KEITH KING ’ 82, associate editor keith_king@unc.edu; 962–3903

Records and Information Systems

ROGER NELSEN, director of alumni records & info. systems roger_nelsen@unc.edu; 962–7055

TRACY CHRISMON, records assistant tracy_chrismon@unc.edu; 962–3737

STARLA GLENN, records assistant starla_glenn@unc.edu; 962–3584

JULIE GONYA, network administrator julie_gonya@unc.edu; 962–5788

COURTNEY KROLIKLOSKI ’07, records assistant courtney_krolikoski@unc.edu; 962–3586

JEREMY MCCAMIC ’03, records assistant jeremy_mccamic@unc.edu; 962–4412

MARTHA MILLS ’ 80, records assistant martha_mills@unc.edu; 962–3585

RACHEL ORR, records assistant rachel_orr@unc.edu; 962–3739

JOAN PENDERGRAPH, assistant director of alumni records joan_pendergraph@unc.edu; 962–3580

KEMESHA D. STANLEY ’08, records assistant kemesha_stanley@unc.edu; 962–3738

Careers
It’s Worth Investing in a
Professional Internship
your career,
your life

Are you looking for a creative way to build your resume while waiting for the economy to improve? Are you considering a new career but lack relevant experience? Do you need to learn new skills or explore a different industry? You might want to consider a professional internship.

This is not your typical student internship. The professional internship is for those with a degree, experience and a solid set of skills whose career has stalled. Also called a midcareer or executive internship, this is an excellent way to learn new skills while exploring a new career path, establishing credibility and making new contacts.

As many people have discovered, this is a difficult time to be looking for a job. Unemployment has reached historic proportions, and competition for existing jobs is fierce. So why not make use of the down time to learn something new? Many employers are short-staffed because of layoffs and would welcome free or minimal-cost help.

The most important thing is to make the internship work for you. The ideal internship will enable you to work for a company or manage a project where you can learn by doing; it is not about only stuffing envelopes or making copies (although you might need to do that as well). Your goal is to gain relevant experience, hone your skills and build your reputation. In addition, you want to learn about the business, uncover needs and propose solutions that might result in a new position. You also want to give the employer the opportunity to learn about you and the value you can add to the organization.

You probably will have to design your own internship. Offer an employer your services for no more than three months, perhaps three days a week, so that you can still have time to conduct your job search. If you are looking for ways to improve your Web site design skills, offer your services to a small business or nonprofit wanting to create or improve its Web site. If you are interested in event planning, offer your talents to a caterer or conference center. Give your talents and get the opportunity to gain valuable experience to build your resume.

Professional internships also

LINDA CONKLIN

can be valuable for new graduates. One of my clients was a new graduate who left college with a stellar academic record, a degree in both psychology and biology — and no job. During college she had little time to consider internships because of her demanding course load. She also had no real-world research experience, except for dissecting a shark for a class. She was unclear about a career to pursue. She decided to approach one of her favorite professors to see if there might be a job in her lab. The professor was delighted with the offer but did not have the budget to hire her, so the new graduate with no job offered to work for free.

Free? Yes. By offering to work for free, the intern put herself in a position to ask for what she wanted — an opportunity to do qualitative research. The professor agreed, and the intern spent the next three months interviewing transplant patients to evaluate the effects of their surgery. She seized the opportunity to work with patients, develop a new curriculum, organize files and be useful.

She learned a lot about herself and what she wanted in a career. She gained confidence in her abilities and demonstrated her strong organizational and interpersonal skills. In addition, she received a glowing letter of recommedation from her professor, along with a list of contacts and potential employers. Within two weeks, she found a research position that was to be the foundation for her doctorate and the start of her career in cancer research.

Whether you are looking for your first job or your next job, think of a professional internship as an investment in your future. The opportunity to learn while doing, ask questions and produce results is priceless.

■

Linda Conklin, GAA manager of Alumni Career Services, provides career coaching and monthly teleclasses. The June 15 teleclass will be “ Cover Letters.” Conklin’s advice and other career-related information can be found on the Web at alumni.unc.edu/career. Contact her at linda_conklin@unc.edu or (919) 962–3749.