Beyond the Requirement: Finding Purpose Through an Internship
The first question people will ask you as a college student: what’s your major? The second question: what are you going to do with it? The answer is more stressful than one may expect.
Even if you know what you want to major in, you may have no clue what career you want after graduation. So, what’s the best way to find out? According to Franklin College senior Borden Kennedy, it’s internships.
Coming into his junior year, Borden had no idea what career he wanted to pursue after college. But he knew Franklin College requires all students to complete an internship before graduation, so he kind of just picked one.
“One of my friends did an internship at Beyond the Label, and I was like, ‘Well, I need an internship to graduate, so I’ll just go here.’ Then, I fell in love.” – Kennedy
Beyond the Label is a family-first therapy organization that provides in-home treatment for kids on the autistic spectrum. For his internship, Borden worked closely with the patients and realized how much his personality fit with how Beyond the Label operates.
“I was supervised at first. But once I got the hang of it, we would be hands-on, being with the patient at their house, going on outings. This is how I learn best. They trained me really well, then they said, ‘Alright, it’s on you.’ It gave me the opportunity to do it by myself and learn.” – Kennedy
Though the internship requirement initially felt like a chore, Beyond the Label changed Borden’s life. Now, he has a plan after college, as Beyond the Label promised him a full-time job. This is a position he never would have gained if not for Franklin’s dedication to hands-on learning.
“Every major requires you to have an internship to graduate. It might seem stressful, but they help a lot. Especially if you don’t know what you want to do, you can do multiple internships.” – Kennedy
Franklin College’s liberal arts curriculum creates the perfect environment students to discover their passions. Even those pesky requirements may help your lifelong plan become clearer.
So, still not sure what you want to do with your life? Franklin’s got you covered.
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