How do I find an internship for the summer? 

The UNCW Career Center can be very helpful when you are searching for an upcoming internship. It is located upstairs in the Fisher Student Union. You can either make an appointment to talk with someone or you can visit during their fast lane hours. UNCW offers certified internship programs (CIP) that you can also get class credit for. The career center is also awesome for giving you multiple websites that you can search through on your own to find an internship. The employees in the career center are super nice, so go visit them and they can help you. You can also search for internships on SeaWork. This is a great resource where organizations post jobs or internship needs. You are able to filter through opportunities by the job city and by part-time, full-time, or internship. SeaWork is easy to navigate and can be very helpful. Finding and applying for internships can be a strenuous process so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get something you apply for.

I am a special education major and I am currently doing field experience for one of my classes. I want to work with kids, but I am placed in a high school classroom. I am unhappy in this environment and I’m not sure what to do about it.  

Field experience is an awesome opportunity because it allows you to become aware of your feelings towards specific schools or age groups. Even though you want to work with children, having the chance to work with high school kids can be beneficial to you because you now know that you do not want to work with that age group. I am not familiar with the school of education, so I am not sure if you can request where you get placed or what age group you get placed with, but you could look more into that if you think that that is something you would like to do. As of right now, just try to be as positive as you can in the high school class. I know it can be tough, but those kids get a lot of happiness from you being in their classroom. Instead of being upset that you did not get the field experience placement that you want, try to be thankful that you got this opportunity to know what you do not want as your future career.  

I’m trying to make a decision if I want to stay in Wilmington for the summer. I’ve never stayed here and I don’t know what it’s like. What goes on here during the summer? 

Wilmington is awesome during the summer. There is a lot to do. Of course, there is the beach. Wrightsville Beach is perfect to go to for a day, but remember you have to pay for parking. You can also drive down to Carolina or Kure Beach where there is free parking in some areas. Also at Carolina Beach, there is Britt’s Donuts and they are amazing. The Riverwalk downtown is also nice during the summer because it is warm and you can stop for ice cream at Kilwin’s while you’re walking. Jungle Rapids is a fun place to ride go-carts and play putt-putt at when it’s sunny. You can visit Wrightsville SUP at Wrightsville Beach and rent paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, and more to use on the water. A lot of people walk the loop at Wrightsville Beach. It allows you see most of the island and you get some good exercise. There are also a ton of things to do that are not technically just summer activities. You can go bowling, go to the movies, go to coffee shops, go to ice cream shops, or go shopping. Basically, Wilmington is great in the summer. Also, if you are looking for a summer job to make some extra cash, I have heard a lot of the local businesses around town will hire strictly for the summer time.