Student interns write their way to scholarships
Since 1984, the California Internship and Work Experience Association (CIWEA) has annually offered a scholarship for college students in the amount of $1,500. The Bernard L. Hyink Scholarship was named after the long-term member and past president of the CIWEA Bernard (Bernie) Hyink, who passed away June 24, 2004 at the age of 91. To qualify, students are required to write an essay of at least 750 words on a topic decided by the CIWEA. Sally Cardenas, director of Internships and Community-Based Learning at CIWEA, said, “Each year the topic is tied to the Association’s annual conference theme.”
The CIWEA selects the two essays they believe best address the chosen topic. One winner is chosen is from a four-year university, and the other from a two-year community college. “Applicants must have completed an internship, work experience, or Co-Op [Community Opportunity] experience during the winter, spring, summer, or fall of the preceding year,” Said Cardenas.
This year, the chosen topic is, “Exploring Borders: How My Internship/Work Experience has Influenced My Career Choice.” All essays submitted will be evaluated based on career impact, creativity, paragraph development, grammar/punctuation, and formatting. The goal of the Bernard L. Hyink Scholarship is, “to recognize students’ professional development through experience based learning,” said Cardenas. “It is also a way to recognize the colleges/universities and employers who work with the recipients. It is inspirational to those of us who work in the field.”
Last year’s winners Charlotte Kurner from Mira Costa College, and Jesse Ayala from California State University, Fresno both wrote about their work experience’s influence on their career choice, and were presented with $1,500 each and an opportunity to present their essay at the next CIWEA convention. Students may view Charlotte and Jesse’s winning essays and a biography on Bernard Hyink at http://ciwea.org/page.cfm?PageID=123&CategoryID=69.
All essays must be certified and submitted by a CIWEA member. To apply, students may contact John Woodward, CIWEA Scholarship chair at [email protected].