UHCL intern's advice: Go to Career Services, Strategic Partnerships for guidance and support
Aundria Stokes will soon graduate from University of Houston-Clear Lake with her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and knew she needed an internship in order to get the real-world job experience that employers were seeking. After finding hers at Baytran, the Bay Area Houston Transportation Partnership, she said she had some words of advice for other college students who were also looking for good internships.
“The first thing I did was sign up to get emails about internships from the Office of Strategic Partnerships at UH-Clear Lake, and then I took my resume to Career Services and asked them to help me proofread it and make it better,” she said. “I spoke with my advisor beforehand and was told to set up a Jobs4Hawks profile. Career Services also helped me with interview skills and prepping. I was nervous for my interview, but I was prepared.”
And as much as Career Services helped her get her resume and interview plan organized, she said there was one more important piece of advice she wanted to share.
“I would tell people to read their email! Even if you get a lot of email about internships that aren’t for you, keep reading your email,” she said. “I found one that said ‘marketing’ after getting a lot of them that were for other things that weren't for me, and I just jumped on it.”
And one more thing. “Even if you don’t think you meet all the requirements for an internship, apply anyway,” she said. “You never know, maybe they still need you for something else you can do.”
Program Manager in the Office of Strategic Partnerships Bernadina Streeter helped Stokes find her way to Baytran Executive Director Amy Skicki. Baytran’s mission is to enhance regional mobility by advocating for improved infrastructure and air quality, reducing traffic congestion, and creating community relationships that result in positive transportation solutions.
“We have a new partnership with UHCL and our objective is to grow our organization,” Skicki said. “After speaking with Ms. Streeter about student internship opportunities, I received Aundria’s resume and found out that the Office of Strategic Partnerships would fund her internship. Transportation is a complex topic with a lot of entities involved. I’ve been very impressed with Aundria.”
Stokes said that she helps Skicki prepare for events, she manages Baytran’s CRM, responds to members’ emails, takes minutes during meetings, and attends functions with her. “Communication and networking are what I have learned at Baytran,” she said. “I’m speaking with professionals across all fields, finding out how we can help with their upcoming projects and creating relationships. I have gotten so much information. I didn’t know much about transportation in our area, but this has been eye-opening.”
She said she hopes to use her marketing degree to work in event planning and organizing and social media. “I have been learning so much working for Ms. Amy, and none of it would have been possible without Career Services and Strategic Partnerships,” she said.
For more information about Career Services, visit www.uhcl.edu/career-services/. To learn more about internships available through the Office of Strategic Partnerships, visit www.uhcl.edu/strategic-partnerships/