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Show WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19,2111 6 - DIXIESUNNEIAIS.COM , Entemshi , e eficLd for DSU st S tei WI ents Ni coE , , onl ,, i ' BY RYANN HEINLEN 131c AvereeRHeinlen S r'' 4 get , ; .. , i,,': . -- ,,, Summer internships are an alternative to jobs. k While jobs may give short-terbenefits in terms of making money, they can do more S,', harm than good in the long run, said Gina Gottfredson, S career coach at the Dixie State z University Career Center. z m Networking 0 "You might get great letters 0T of recommendation from in- , ' , , ,,,..4.4' i , r ,, 'i , ternship mentors," Gottfredson said. "They're maybe the head of a department or the CEO of the company you're interning with and so you're going to have a letter of recommendation from someone who is fantastic and has some clout." Gottfiedson said another benefit to having an internship over a job is the temporary nature of the position. "You get to try something for a while," Gottfiedson said. "It's really great for exploration for students." Career coaches recommend students who have an idea of what they want to do but , , F -4- 1 1 , 4- : -... , P f , Jaten Jones' video ','Watch Bo I Nv, .',...,,, .114146. I I4C ?'NNI ''1 4:''44C" 1 1 rN4.,. It..., 7"-- 11:.41,7coowly i cltssb. I .t , i 3 $ ', li, i 0, -,. , p A , - ,...,,,,- NI - I , s ,i,... 1 ) 0 ...,, , 0. nur 4, z r' tha 4t 'Nft m , at - .4, .A.,..,..k., commitment of a job, even are without the Internships provide the chance to discover what a students true interests influential people. lead to can and tools meeting be great networking at the expense of a summer. Internships also prove to long-ter- said. "You will also be able to no experience in the field to intern for a related company, Gottfi edson said. This gives students the opportunity to decide if the job is something they enjoy or if they would like to pursue another field. Kaitlyn Ballard, a junior theater major from Hurricane, said internships can help you meet influential people in the field students might be interested in. "Internships are great for networking," Gottfiedson get connections and referrals for future positions." Ballard said although she likes the idea of exploring more in her field, she would rather have something more concrete. Narrowing options Shane Blocker, assistant director of employer relations and internships, reaches out to local and nationwide businesses to offer DSU interns. "I do a lot of recruiting m if Its activities, sourcing companies and making sure they know of all the different services and majors and everything that is available at DSUI in terms of student population," Blocker to Blocker, they'll want to meet with one of the counse1 . ors and we'll ask the tough questions," Gottfiedson said. "The questions they might not have thought of." said. Getting help Blocker said one of the first questions he asks students who come to see him is what exactly they want to do. "Saying 'I want to do an internship' is great, but that said she encourages students interested in applying for internships to go to the Career Center on the fifth floor of the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons building for assistance. "Before students even talk Gottfi-edso- n see INTERNSHIP page? on the value of summer internships. Go to: Dixie ! dixiesunnews.com Nontraditional students novel graduate publishes face unique challenges BY DON GILMAN ! dongilmanDSU p ' ,', ,''' -- - , WStablerB2B , Chelsea Curran has come a long way from the young woman whodidnot like to read. These days, Curran is a .., , ,, , L I APRIL 19 April lion begins at Lexington Common. Oklahoma City a truck bomb bombing at Alfred P. Murrah 1995 - Federal Building kills 168 injures 500. & Source: onthisday.com i, UPCOMING MOVIE RELEASES I .. e The book took Curran seven months to write, she said. She worked at honing her craft as a fiction writer for six years before the novel was 280-pag- ...,,,r ' ( ,' ) ';- f k : It 4 , - .,. 1 , , L., . , , April 21 For Better" "Born in China" "Phoenix Forgotten" completed. She also endured approximately 50 rejection letters before Cedar Fort Publishing & Media agreed to publish the book. Curran said the feeling of ac- complishment at having been published is exhilarating. "Once I got that email that said I was accepted,' it was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life," she said. "To have it out now, to hold a copy in my hand, it's like a dream come true and almost unreal." Curran said she was deeply - 1 , , , - s, , k t , ,.. N 't b I ' .4. .. , i , , .s ,e , 1 : .t N '1 t 't 1, 0 t ''' 011 ..., ? , , v ' m. 4- tt 4, (,) , I ',.t,..,. ),: 01 : t -, ... , S . 1 '. "' (A W 4' ';',,,V ' 4 I4 4 .4 r- ' 1 k '' , ' , , "I , ',. At 1 4 4 z 1 -. , , , , '''' ' '"144.N.. w4t,' 5 -- tt. ' ""'''', ' 't ., . ' 4t, 4 ' JD , 4 ' t ,f 't.177,- . ' ,,, H , ' 11. All this from someone who didn't enjoy the written word until attending DSC. The idea for the book grew while Curran attended school at DSC. This inspiration is written into the novel, as the main character, Logan Atwood, attends the college as well. "The idea was started while was going to Dixie," Curran said. "It's the classic 'guy starts at college, trying to figure his way in life, ends up being successful, but loses a lot of his morality.' He ends up in a car accident, he is in a coma, (and) goes back five years to find out what his life could have been if he had made a different decision." American revotu- - , published author. Curran, a Dixie State College alumna, who graduated in 2012, recently had her first novel published. "An Unseen Road to Love" is a contemporary romance novel published by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media. The book was released , 1775 BY WENDY STABLER .';,.. :,...., ' - .' ,t 4,, A Chelsea Curran, a Dixie State College alumna who graduated in 2012, recently had her first novel, "An Unseen Road to Love," published. The book was released on April 11. influenced by her roommates who ignited her passion for reading and writing. One of those roommates was Savannah Dawson, who received her bachelor's of science degree in nursing from DSC in 2012. Dawson said she was not surprised at Curran's success. "I don't find it surprising because she had this idea for the book since we were living together six years ago," Dawson said. "She's drafted it and it so many times. It's so cool to see it come to fruifion and being published." Dawson said she felt honored that Curran listed her as one of her inspirations. She said she especially appreciated that she has a cameo in the book, with the main character mentioning her name. "That's really fun," Dawson said. Another influence in Curran's arc as a professional writer was Stephen Armstrong, associate professor of English. "It was a class that was different from other classes I had right in; you pick it up really taken," Curran said. "The feedback that I got was not overly critical but very encouraging. It was also a class where I got to be whatever I wanted to be and I was encouraged to use a lot of individuality." Armstrong said he was happy to hear about Curran's success. "Whenever I learn about a former or current student publishing their work, my heart lifts," Armstrong said. "I can only hope that something I passed, in terms of instmction, may have helped. Of course the writer's drive, application and talent are the true reasons behind this success." Curran currently works as a teacher in Mesa, Arizona, but hopes the publication of her novel will lead to being a e full-tim- writer. "I have to work on it for it to really take off," she said. Dawson said she thinks Curran has the tools to succeed. "She has lots of great ideas and she'll continue to go far," Dawson said, Deciding to return to school as a nontraditional student can be a difficult decision and can pose challenges that are not faced by the traditional student. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a nontraditional student, by definition, is considered to be over the age of 24 years old. About half of college students today are nontraditional students and 25 percent of those students are over the age of 30, according to nprEd. "I was hesitant at first about going back to school," said Rob Gray, English instructor. "I had to get my confidence up. It's just a matter of doing it with confidence and jumping quickly." Gray said he had children and was married when he went back to school and had more familial and financial obligations than a traditional student. "I had to take out student loans and grants just like any other student and had to live kind of lean just like a traditional student would," Gray said. "I had not gone to school for 20 some odd years and my financial obligations had changed over the years." As an instructor, he loves to see a nontraditional student in class, Gray said. "I think we see the difficulties that they have, which are different than the traditional students," Gray said. "I try to go out of my way to help those types of students." If you're tying to go back to school after any time gaps - between education, then it's important to jump right into school and to not let a lack of confidence hold you back, Gray said. "It's tougher coming to school as a nontraditional - student," said David Nelson, 50, a junior media studies major from St George. "I have t similar financial concerns as I have I traditional student. a financial aid to help me pay for college." Working and interacting with the traditional students can he tougher than working with nontraditional students, Nelson said. Traditional students have a tendency to stick to their owli age group. "Traditional students try to push you away because of being the same age as their parents," Nelson said. "They think you're going to be pushy with them so they pull away." James Stone, 56, a senior communication major from San Diego, said he returned to school because he tried to find work with an associate degree, but no one was hiring. "They keep raising the academic standard for employment and it is a given that you need at least a degree to be hired in a good job," Stone said. "There are more nontraditional students who have come back to school because of the academic standard." I Stone said he feels like he interacts as necessary with traditional student classmates, but he would not consider theft to be peers. "My classmates and I are well aware of the age gap," Stone said. "I am old enough be their father." al According to the Institut ' Accountability and Research department at Parkland College, nontraditional students have a higher overall GPA a returned to college to furthel their career goals. chal- - Gray said despite the lenges a nontraditional stuo0 the may have, education process and learnage ing to work with different ranges was a good experience and he would encourage al nontraditional student to take fast-tracki- - the challenge. rt, I |