Jaylin Covington and Olivia Testa spent the summer turning classroom learning into practical experience through Multicultural Student Affairs’ summer internship program.

Covington is a senior majoring in social work. Testa is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing with a concentration in fiction.
During the 10-week experience, the interns developed educational resources, supported Summer Start and New Student Orientation activities, interacted with incoming students and families, and contributed to programs that will serve students throughout the academic year.

Trevis Belle, assistant director of Multicultural Student Affairs, said the program was designed to provide undergraduate and graduate students with meaningful professional development.

“This summer internship was created as a way to provide developmental opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students who wanted to learn about what Multicultural Student Affairs is and how critical summer planning is for success during the academic year,” Belle said.

The experience also helped the interns connect their academic knowledge to work outside the classroom. This was MSA’s second year offering a graduate summer internship and its first year hosting an undergraduate summer intern in collaboration with the NC State School of Social Work.

Creating Programs That Bring Students Together

For Covington, the internship provided a new understanding of how social work principles can be applied within a university setting.

“As a social work major, I’ve always wanted to help people,” Covington said. “This internship showed me that helping doesn’t always have to be through counseling or case management. Sometimes it’s just creating a space where people feel supported.”

Covington helped plan programs, welcomed students during orientation and strengthened his communication, organization, event planning and presentation skills. He also learned how much preparation occurs before students arrive at an event.

“I didn’t realize how much work goes into planning one event,” Covington said. “There’s a lot happening behind the scenes that students never see, and it made me appreciate all the preparation that goes into making programs successful.”

His primary project was creating the MSA Volunteer Program. Covington helped develop the initiative from the ground up by designing Moodle training, producing volunteer resources and considering how the program could operate for future students.

“My favorite part of this internship experience was being able to create programs that brought students together,” Covington said. “It was rewarding to see students stop by for the events we developed, connect with one another and leave feeling like they belonged. Knowing that I played a role in creating that experience made the internship meaningful.”
Covington also gained experience using assessment to improve programs. He learned to gather student feedback, identify what worked and determine how future events could be strengthened.

One of his favorite memories came during the Summer Start Cookout, where he presented information about MSA to incoming students and an unexpected audience member.

“One of the funniest moments was presenting to Mr. Wuf, which definitely wasn’t something I expected,” Covington said. “It made the experience memorable and hysterical, to say the least.”

Designing Learning Around Student Needs

Testa focused much of her internship on curriculum development, student learning and the presentation of information through different formats.

“My favorite part of this internship experience was getting to be a new student’s first look into the NC State Wolfpack community,” Testa said. “Preparing them with the necessary resources and information helped them get off on the right foot.”

The internship encouraged Testa to approach projects through her own experiences rather than simply replicate what had been done previously.

“I learned that I have more to offer than the mold,” Testa said. “The things I desired as an undergraduate student weren’t far off from what NC State’s students needed to succeed, validating my experience and helping me leverage it as a teaching opportunity.”

Testa developed skills in higher education administration, curriculum development, personalized learning and multimodal information presentation. She said recognizing that students process information differently challenged her to design learning experiences beyond her own preferences.

One of Testa’s primary projects was developing the “Priority Shifting and Routine Preservation” workshop for MSA’s Professional Development Series. The workshop addresses a challenge she experienced as an undergraduate: maintaining routines and productive habits when moving between campus, home and other environments.

“Being able to prioritize students’ wellness on campus and their professionalism at home helps to break down some of the associations students create between space and priorities,” Testa said. “It makes them more prepared to continue developing beyond the bounds of NC State.”

A memorable moment occurred when a group of incoming first-year students visited the MSA suite. After hearing that the students had been asked whether they had questions throughout the day, Testa changed her approach. She asked what they were concerned about forgetting when they moved to campus and used their responses to explain how NC State resources could help.

“This got a lot of those students involved, and as they exited the office, they shared that the energy of the exchange made them excited to return to MSA in the fall,” Testa said.

Developing Confidence Through Experience

Leslie Cochran, administrative support specialist for MSA, observed both students as they moved from uncertainty to greater confidence and independence.

“Both came in at very different stages, but both achieved major breakthroughs,” Cochran said.

Cochran said Testa quickly strengthened her program development skills and learned to personalize educational experiences after recognizing that people process information differently.

Covington initially questioned his communication abilities and presentation choices, Cochran said. Over the summer, however, he became more willing to trust his preparation and professional judgment.

“Over the months, he shed that doubt, trusted his insights and found his professional voice,” Cochran said.

Cochran saw that growth during New Student Orientation. Covington initially felt uncomfortable working at an information table and relied on nearby staff members for reassurance. His turning point came when he had to manage the table independently.

“He handled it perfectly,” Cochran said. “He answered questions smoothly without second-guessing himself. His confidence shone through, proving he finally trusted his own voice.”

Belle also noted how quickly both interns developed their abilities in curriculum building, program planning, learning-outcome development and facilitation.

“In the earlier stages, they were a bit nervous and unsure,” Belle said. “However, as time went on and they did it more and more, they became more confident in themselves to execute the tasks at hand.”

Belle said the program treats student interns as contributors whose perspectives can strengthen MSA’s work.

“The opportunity to sit in on staff meetings and lead programs helps students understand that they are not working for us, but alongside us,” Belle said. “It is an overall collaborative and community-building effort.”
For Covington and Testa, the summer demonstrated how students can use their academic preparation, personal experiences and emerging professional skills to contribute to the university community. Their projects will continue supporting MSA programs and the students who participate in them during the academic year.