Who knew how far six person’s dreams could reach? SMUstudents, Laura West, Adrianne Speas, Vedrana Juko, SaedraPinkerton, Lisa Foster and Bradley Stanley, shared their summerintern experiences with members from the Faculty AdvisoryCommittee, a former intern, a member of the local businesscommunity and founder Cary M. Maguire in a small exit session earlyTuesday afternoon.
“It was a great opportunity for me to have thisexperience,” said Laura West, a junior corporatecommunications major. West worked with Victory Health Partners, anon-profit healthcare clinic in Mobile, Ala. According to West,this hands-on experience helped solidify her career choice and gaveher a clear picture of what to expect after college. “Thisgot me excited about graduating,” she said .
All six students turned their dreams into reality after applyingand being selected for the Maguire and Irby Family Public ServiceIntern Program. One distinct feature of the internship program isstudents create a plan to reverse problems within a community oftheir choice. Once their plan is established, they then contact anon-profit organization to work with for the summer.
Last Spring these six students were selected for the Maguire andIrby Family Public Service Intern Program based on their proposalto serve a community of their choice through working for anon-profit in that area. Students were each granted up $2000 tocarry out their services to the community. “It allows thestudent to choose what to do and write a grant proposal,”said Adrianne Speas, a Dedman Law Student, who worked in Dallaswith the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Vedrana Juko, a political science and psychology major, reachedacross the globe with her grant proposal. A former Bosnianresident, Juko interned with the Association of Election Officialsto educate and encourage the local community on their importance inthe election process. While in Bosnia, Juko spoke with locals andanswered questions about the Law of Conflict of Interest.”The community as a whole is not in the position tocare,” said Juko. After emersing herself in Bosnian cultureand reaching out to the community in a short time, Juko feels onlymore can be done. “Ultimately I want to go back andhelp,” she said.
Saedra Pinkerton, a student in the Dedman Law School, workedlocally with The Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and the DallasVolunteer Attorney Program writing memos and researching. Afterwitnessing hundreds of poverty-stricken people denied legalrepresentation because of a severe lack of volunteer and full-timestaff attorneys, Pinkerton found her calling. “I hope to workfor them when I graduate from law school,” Pinkertonsaid.
Lisa Foster, a corporate communications and public affairsdouble major, worked with students at her former high school inGeorgetown, Texas alongside the non-profit organization, TheGeorgetown Project. One growing problem within Foster’shometown was the drastic increase in Austin’s suburbpopulation, which pushed her high school into class AAAAA.”Students don’t feel a connection,” Foster said.To bring the students together, she created a student youthcommittee, which designed a 59 foot mural in the student’scommon area.
Bradley Stanley, an undergraduate engineering major, took hisdream to Arizona. Stanley worked with Casa Grande CommunityServices to create activity programs for youth, especially those atrisk. “This year’s interns not only contributed to thecommunity but discovered something about themselves,” saidRichard Mason, director of SMU’s Cary M. Maguire Center forEthics and Public Responsibility.
For more information, contact the Maguire Center for Ethics at214-768-4255 or visit their Web site athttp://www.smu.edu/ethics_center.
