Through the generosity of the Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) and individual donors, the MSU Career Services Network was able to grant stipend awards up to $1,000 for undergraduate students participating this summer in unpaid internships located in the United States.

The MSUFCU Internship Opportunity Award program was established to encourage students who have demonstrated the capacity to accomplish educational and professional goals, the motivation to achieve these goals, and the initiative to seek experiential learning opportunities to further progress toward their career.

The following four students from the College of Arts & Letters have received this award:

Camille Ernst

Camille Ernst, a junior Apparel & Textile Design major with minors in Theatre, Dance, and Graphic Design, will intern this summer at Public Thread, a sustainable apparel company in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

At MSU, Ernst works in the Department of Theatre’s Costume Shop, where she helps make costumes for the department shows, such as this past spring’s musical, Oklahoma! She also is in the Spartan Marching Band Color Guard, where she will be a squad leader for fall 2019, and is in the honorary band service sorority, Tau Beta Sigma, for which this will be her second year as Vice President of Membership. Ernst also is on the E-board for the modern dance company on campus, Orchesis.

“This award means that I will be able to be one step closer to my goal of creating my own sustainable apparel company and doing my part to help our Earth,” Ernst said. “I am so grateful to the credit union for giving me their help.”

Abigail Kopacz

Abigail Kopacz is a junior with a double major in English and Arts and Cultural Management. She has worked as a Social Media Coordinator for Curious Book Shop and an Administrative Intern for the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.

This summer, she will be interning for Art in the Market in Lansing, Michigan, where she will manage social media and online promotion for Allen Street’s weekly farmers market.

Marin Robertson

Marin Robertson is a junior pursuing a BFA in Apparel and Textile Design with a minor in Graphic Design. This summer, she is interning for Zero Waste Daniel, a sustainable clothing company in New York City that makes garments out of waste scraps from the textile industry. 

Robertson enjoys making artwork and clothing surrounding the topics of sustainability and animal rights. She also works in the Kresge Visual Resources Print Lab as a Print Tech and is a member of the Student Housing Cooperative. 

“This award is so extremely helpful to me and I can’t describe how lucky I feel to have received it,” Robertson said. “It’s helping me to be able to work as an unpaid intern at my dream internship, where I’ll learn more valuable skills to accomplish what I’m really passionate about.”

Leah Wright

Leah Wright, a junior with a double major in English and Professional Writing, will be interning with the opinion journalism outlet, On the Banks, where she will be reporting on news surrounding the MSU community. 

Wright is a member of the Spartan Marching Band Color Guard. She also is a member of State of Art Winter Guard, MSU’s competitive winter guard that holds its season from mid-November to April.

“This award means a lot to me and I’m grateful to have the financial support,” Wright said. “Being a student and working an unpaid internship is no easy task. I feel very honored to have received this award.”