Elon University’s Campus Alamance program is now celebrating 5 years of offering students an eight-week paid internship opportunity in the local community.
A summer internship can lead to connections, experience and even a potential job opportunity – and for nearly 50 Elon University students in the Campus Alamance program, it also means contributing to the local community.
Campus Alamance, launched in 2021 and sponsored by the Student Professional Development Center and the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, helps to connect Elon students with internships in the Alamance County community and strives to create a job pipeline. The internships are paid, and 97% of participants have reported their internships as valuable to their professional development.
A love for nature
“This internship is exactly what I want to do with my life, I’m just so happy,” said Ellie Loewenthal ’26, who is interning with Community and Outdoor Programs at Burlington Recreation and Parks.
Loewenthal, an outdoor leadership education major, says that a therapeutic wilderness program she participated in during high school changed her life and inspired her to pursue a career in outdoor education.
“I just fell in love with it,” she said. “I’m ADHD, and nature helps with my mental health, so I love being outside. I’ve always loved nature and didn’t realize how healing it could be.”
As the outdoor adventure and environmental education intern, Loewenthal helps plan and lead a variety of activities, including Sprouts, a nature education day for 2 to 5-year-olds, and the Eco Explore Camp.
“Throughout her internship, Ellie built meaningful relationships with campers and participants – making everyone feel welcome, whether they were hiking a trail, paddling around the lake, playing games, or gathered at a picnic shelter,” said Melissa Hoose, recreation supervisor of community and outdoor programs with the City of Burlington. “She consistently supported participants in forming deeper connections with the natural world through thoughtfully planned, educational, and engaging experiences.”
Evan Small, lecturer in wellness, connected Loewenthal with the opportunity after hearing from Burlington Recreation and Parks about their needs for an intern.
“I hear Evan in my head a lot because he’s taught a lot of my outdoor education classes,” said Loewenthal, who is from Denver, Colorado. “So much of what he said has been valuable, especially when it comes to creating programs and figuring out what is best for which age group, and being able to pivot when something doesn’t work out.”
A dynamic experience
Samaj Clark ’28 is getting his experience steps away from Elon’s main campus at Elon Oaks Veterinary Hospital. The biology major pursued the opportunity because of his love for animals.
“In veterinary sciences, you have to be good with animals but good with people also,” said Clark, who is from Hayward, California. “Every day, I always strive to either meet new people or get more social.”
Clark says the internship is dynamic, allowing him to learn multiple skills, including administering vaccines, helping with blood tests and guiding animals to and from their appointments.
“It’s very dynamic in what I can do,” said Clark. “I worked on a bird, which was interesting, so it’s not just cats and dogs but different animals.”
A welcome variety
As an intern with Exum Photography in Burlington, Sylvie Cullen ’26, a communication design and cinema and television arts double major, is getting the hands-on experience she’s been looking for.
While Exum Photography offers an array of services, they focus on clothing photography, including what someone could see on an online shopping website.
“I didn’t expect this much variety, and I didn’t expect to see how many little things there are that go into keeping everything together,” said Cullen on what surprised her with the internship. “But at the same time, it’s a lot less formal than I thought it was. I think you see those kinds of pictures online, and they look so professional, which they are, but we’re also in a repurposed warehouse and we’re laughing and talking while shooting. It’s a different environment than I expected.”
Cullen says her communications courses have helped to prepare her for the internship, but her job with Elon’s Event Technology made a difference as well.
“It has helped me be familiar with general technology, how lights work, and the basic setting up of electrical equipment, keeping cords out of the way and coiling cables,” she said. “I’ve been able to see a very different side of photography than what I have done in the past, which is really cool. I like getting to see how professionals edit their pictures, and I’ve learned a lot of small skills that help with workflow. It’s been a really great experience.”
