Lycoming College 2020 President's Report/Magazine

Each year, Lycoming’s Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences assists students with summer internship placements with various companies and organizations throughout the country. Unfortunately, more than 90 percent of internships were cancelled this year due to the pandemic. Through the assistance and creativity of a Lycoming alumna and the use of modern technology, Valeria Renée Rivera ’22, a business administration and art (commercial design) double-major with an art history minor from San Salvador, El Salvador, was able to successfully complete her internship remotely. This past summer, Rivera interned at Goodwill Industries International (GII) as a public relations and communications intern. Throughout her internship, she created external communication materials such as press releases, social media messaging, and marketing and communication plans. She also designed GII’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) logo as well as template versions for the 156 Goodwill® community- based, independent, nonprofit organizations. Additional tasks during her internship included monitoring and analyzing trends of traditional media, developing assets and serving as administrator for GII’s social media channels, and creating thought leadership opportunities for GII’s president and CEO. “My experience at Goodwill helped me grow as a professional and as a leader,” said Rivera. “I was challenged every week with tasks I had never encountered before and developed practical work skills I will use for the rest of my career. I also was able to connect with people throughout the organization who welcomed me with open arms and offered their help in every step of the way. Overall, this internship gave me so much more than what it originally promised, and I am extremely grateful to have been part of such a talented, kind team.” I mask up because I would like to stay on campus for the remainder of my senior year. - Ny’Asiah Gordon ’21 The remote possibility of a summer internship Rivera proudly displays the DEI logo she designed for Goodwill Industries International My experience at Goodwill helped me grow as a professional and as a leader. Goodwill Diversity Equity Inclusion DEI Lauren Lawson-Zilai ’99 GII’s senior director of public relations and national spokesperson During the pandemic, much of Goodwill’s mission has transitioned online, and Goodwill nonprofit organizations across the country are providing response and relief efforts by using their donation centers as COVID testing sites, creating PPE for emergency responders, providing smocks to local hospitals, and lending donation trucks to food kitchens to deliver food to local communities. I needed someone to help tell that story. It is with great fortune that I was able to have Valeria as a virtual colleague for eight weeks. She was tasked with high-level responsibilities that would be given to an entry-level professional, and she excelled at her role, demonstrating emotional maturity, creativity, influence, empathy, and drive. Valeria is an extremely talented individual, but it was also Lycoming’s emphasis on soft skills and critical thinking that set her apart from other intern candidates. 13 www.lycoming.edu