WINONA LAKE – Grace College junior Paulina Rodgers received the Applied Learning Student of the Year Award while senior Rachel Elsner received the Internship Student of the Year Award at Wednesday’s annual awards chapel. Ambassador Enterprises, Fort Wayne, and Magical Meadows, Warsaw, were named Employers of the Year for their contributions to Grace’s applied learning and internship programs, according to a press release from Grace. Grace’s applied learning and internship programs prepare students to enter the workforce after graduation. They supply substantial practical experience in each student’s field of interest. According to Randy Polston, director of applied learning at Grace, “Experiential learning is ‘learning through reflection on doing.’ At Grace, we believe it is important for every student to have the opportunity to learn and reflect by doing. Applied learning and internships are the vehicles we use to provide this vital experience.” Applied learning is required for graduation in each academic program at Grace. Students must attain 12 applied learning credits, equating to 480 hours of work experience. Grace offers more than 200 opportunities for students to connect with businesses, agencies and churches through research projects, cross-cultural field experiences and community service projects. Rodgers, Marion, is a junior majoring in educational ministries. She worked at Twin Lakes Camp and Conference Center in Hillsboro as a counselor last summer. She led a cabin of 10 campers each week, caring for their spiritual, physical and emotional well-being as well as coordinating their activities and leading daily devotions, the release states. Rodgers’ supervisor, Ashley Nierman, said, “Paulina's work ethic and amazing heart led to a great experience and personal growth. She was always pushing herself and trying to improve herself. She listened to advice and was willing to apply it.” Senior Rachel Elsner, Lititz, Pa., won this year’s Internship Student of the Year Award. She is a business student who interned at State Farm Insurance, Stevens, Pa. Her supervisor, Matt Williams, appreciated her ability to work independently without direction, the release states. Williams said, “She wrote more automobile loans than anyone else in the office and was a top performer in our district of State Farm Agents.” Additionally, using the system Elsner implemented, “Our office wrote more loans than in last five years combined,” Williams said. Magical Meadows, a therapeutic horseback riding program, won the Applied Learning Employer of the Year for its outstanding program. Several Grace students have chosen Meadows for their applied learning since 2012. Students at Magical Meadows perform instructional assistance, administrative assistance and animal care. Each student completes a volunteer training course to better understand the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding and proper maintenance of horses. Students consistently praise Magical Meadows for the fulfilling experience it affords, both professionally and personally, according to the release. Internships, generally reserved for junior and senior year, allow students to see practical application of the course material they learn in the classroom. In the 2015-16 school year, 181 Grace students secured internships. Internships are more formal than applied learning because they are specifically related to the students’ majors, the release states. Assigned projects reinforce the student’s career path and cultivate people skills, collaboration, business etiquette and personal propriety. Ambassador Enterprises was recognized as Internship Employer of the Year for its internship program. AE helps fledgling companies survive economically. Three Grace students were selected to participate in AE’s competitive internship program during the summer of 2015. The students cultivated leadership, problem solving, project management and teamwork skill sets from practical experience as well as weekly learning sessions led by area executives. In addition, the interns stayed overnight in Nashville, Tenn., with an AE corporate executive to visit the companies they had worked to improve. For more information about Grace’s applied learning programs, contact Polston at randy.polston@grace.edu or call 574-372-5100. To learn about internships, contact DeeAnna Muraski at deeanna.muraski@grace.edu or call 574-372-5100.
