April 26, 2024
The Cove Courier | Spring 2024 Newsletter
Spring 2024 Graduate Highlights
Spencer Barrett: College of Engineering & Technology, Graduating Program: Industrial Distribution
“I have accepted a position as a Purchasing Agent at Engine Systems Inc. in Rocky Mount. This is a great starting point for my career goals within Procurement and Supply Chain management.”
Jake Bauer: College of Business, Graduating Program: Business Administration Concentration: Management
Hayden Clark: Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences, Graduating Program: Political Science
“I have loved being a part of STEPP, if that isn’t apparent from all the time I spend here. I will miss being in The Cove and getting to know the students better and learning so much from those around me. That has been one of the most valuable things for me, is learning from my peers on how to learn better ways and give advice. I have loved STEPP and will help it however I can even when not being a student anymore.”
Shane Morse: College of Engineering & Technology, Graduating Program: Information & Computer Technology Concentration: Information Security
“My next steps after graduation are getting my CCNA and my Security+ certifications, and I will be interning at North Carolina Electric Cooperatives.”
Janelle Schwartz: College of Business, Graduating Program: Hospitality Leadership,
“STEPP has had a strong impact on me personally as well as academically. I have made some close friends in my cohort that I will keep in contact with after graduation and beyond. STEPP always kept their students as their first priority and hired the best mentors and tutors that would be in my best interest. I am still close with one of my mentors from freshman year who helped me greatly. I will miss coming to the cove to say hello to the staff and the community events that I was involved in. STEPP has helped me during my college years, and now I’m ready to take on the job life.”
Student Highlight
On April 9th, STEPP celebrated its 2023/2024 Student Employee of the Year Nominees, Christina Dowd (Curriculum & Instruction Intern) and Sam Huffman (Social Media & Marketing Intern). The Student Employee of the Year Award is given to student workers who have positively impacted their department during the academic year. Supervisors are asked to write a nomination letter describing the student’s positive workplace attributes, such as community service, diversity and inclusion, leadership, critical thinking, and innovation and technology.
Dr. Danielle Dietz (Instructional Specialist) and Ashley Cooper (Transition Specialist) attended the event on behalf of the STEPP Program. Dietz spoke about Sam Huffman, saying, “Sam is extremely deserving of the Student Employee of the Year award. Sam works across campus to make connections, not for himself, but for the betterment of the individuals he works with and the students he helps support. Sam embodies what it means to be a Pirate and ‘to serve.’ While he might be ‘anonymous’ and behind a computer screen, the work that he does impacts countless students and staff across campus, as well as generations of future pirates.”
Christina was instrumental in researching and applying two new learning strategies used in the STEPP curriculum. She helped with a redesign of the course syllabus and the creation of instructional materials. As a result of the listening and notetaking strategy, student scores improved by over 40% on their assessments. Her nomination form highlights her contributions, saying, “As the curriculum and design intern, Christina was able to articulate to the instructional specialist why these strategies would be the most helpful for first year students. This is all thanks to the hard work Christina did to research, present, and develop the materials.”
We are tremendously proud of our 2023/2024 interns and commend them for their hard work in supporting our mission! Congratulations, Christina and Sam, on your nomination!
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