From Staff Reports

Twenty UNC Asheville students spent their summer engaged in hands-on, community-based internships across North Carolina thanks to a $110,000 grant from the SECU Foundation, UNCA announced Oct. 25 in a press release.

The SECU Public Fellows Internship Program, now in its third year at UNCA and implemented across 16 universities in the UNC System, is designed to connect talented undergraduate students with meaningful on-the-job experience with a local agency or organization, while providing a unique learning opportunity to allow students to give back to their community.

For UNCA students, internship partners for summer 2022 included Pisgah Legal, Asheville Humane Society, Mountain BizWorks, Girl Scouts, and MAHEC, as well as new host sites, Asheville Art Museum, Blue Ridge Public Radio, Land of Sky Regional Council, and the Small Business Technology Development Center. 

This year’s program also included a new kick-off orientation and keynote address on diversity in the workplace by career coach Tiffany Waddell Tate. 

“I decided to become a part of the SECU Public Fellows Internship program because it provided a way to have a meaningful and useful summer job,” said health and wellness promotion major Maggie Martin, who interned with the Girl Scouts Peak to Piedmont program. 

“By devoting the summer towards research, writing, outreach, and action, I am able to build skills I can use in my future careers while also contributing to my local community and the environment,” said Kylee Jackson, an environmental studies major who interned with the Forest Keeper. “The work done by non-profit organizations here in Western North Carolina is crucial in supporting and sustaining the overall well-being of our community.”

Students accepted into the program earned $15.50 an hour to work full-time from June to Aug. 2022, earning three academic credit hours in the process. UNCA students interested in applying should email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it " style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 124, 137); font-family: Helvetica;"> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it expressing their interest. 

The UNCA Career Center is currently seeking host sites for the 2023 SECU Public Fellows Internship Program. To be eligible, sites must submit an application and meet the following criteria:

• North Carolina-based and North Carolina-serving
• Commitment to improve lives for rural North Carolinians
• Non-profit or government agency
• Minimum of three full-time employees
• Subject to approval from SECU Foundation

 For more details — or to apply, contact Cate Marshall at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ."