Class of 2023 graduate Amanda Munson and Elms College’s Experiential Learning Program were featured in a recent article in The Springfield Republican.
Munson, who graduated with a BA in English in May, spoke of her time with the program, under which she interned as a poetry teacher with The Care Center, a Holyoke program that helps young mothers and low-income women prepare to go to college.
The Experiential Learning Program is a key part of the college’s strategic plan to prepare students with hands-on, real-world learning activities outside of the classroom. Through the college’s career center, students in all majors have the opportunity to have internships with more than 100 companies throughout the region. They also have the opportunity to learn broad, conduit research and explore internships.
Jennifer Granger Sullivan, program director, said the program aims to give students experience outside the classroom to show them what a career in a given field is really like.
“Then, they can ask themselves, ‘Do I like it?’ Or say, maybe, ‘I don’t like it. What next?’” she said.
In Amanda’s case, teaching poetry also helped her work through some of what she considered personal challenges, including public speaking, preparing lessons and measuring their effectiveness.